A Child's Mind
by 1337kitsune
Summary: What began as a routine docking has the Mugiwara Crew facing more trouble than they ever imagined. Not only have they been turned into children but now they've been told they'll stay that way forever if they don't past their 'test' of games and riddles. The only problem is that passing the test isn't the only thing that they have to worry about...
1. The Setting Sun

**EDIT MAJOR EDIT!!!: Okay, I'm editing this whole story so far (03/11/10) so if you haven't read this fic before and you are reading this within the week of said date, please check back regularly for the updated chapter, you'll see the edit note at the top if the chapter has been updated. If this is years into the future and this fic is finished...*snickers* than you can laugh at this little note while continuing with reading. And if you have read this before, you'll see major changes...oh yeah...major....**

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Okay, this is not my first fic, but it is my first fic on fan-fiction. I have had this idea for quite a while and wanted so bad to post it, so I got off my lazy butt finally and started typing. Now the fate of this story is in you hands dear reader. You reviews will shape and mold the story ahead of you, while your judgment will make, or break, this budding story. So, without further ado, I present to you...A Child's Mind! My first(and hopefully not last) Fan Fiction!!

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_22 long and significant years have passed by since the proud and tenacious Captain of the Jolly Roger pirates, and the first Pirate King, __Gol D. Roger__, was executed on the platform in his hometown of Loguetown-the town of the beginning and the end-in the peaceful (and weak to some) East Blue. An attempt by the World Government to end piracy by executing the last great pirate, their plan was quickly shattered into pieces since that fateful day where Roger's death kick-started the __Great Age of Piracy__, known to others as the __Age of Dreams:_

"**In the last moment of his life, he turned his fading "flame of life" into a huge fire that enveloped the world. I've never laughed more than on that day...!! I've never cried more than on that day... I've never drank more either..!! He was our captain... and he was a magnificent man...!!!" **

_**"My wealth and treasures? If you want it, I'll let you have it...search for it! I left all of it at that place"**_

___Now, __countless men and women have set out from their homes, raising the jolly roger and becoming pirates and enemies of the marines, all in search for Roger's legendary treasure-_******One Piece**_**!**_**Wealth, Fame, Glory**_, all these await the one who finds One Piece, hidden on the last island in the treacherous maze that is the Grand Line. None so far have found the treasure, but that is because there is far more than Sea-Kings, fellow pirates and marines you must face...You must also face a Game...a game that has innumerable deadly consequences than no mortal can possibly comprehend..._

A countless number of pirates have set sail for the legendary and infamous treasure that is One Piece, and every year numerous pirates die along their journey, the challenges proving far to difficult for them to conquer. However, every so often, a crew arises that has a potential far greater than the average rookie. These crews have battled numerous obstacles and overcome countless difficulties, only to fail at the game they must face once they make it to the Red Line.

The game the select crews must face is no ordinary game. It is a series of tests and trials that see whether the crew and especially that crew's captain, can handle the burden that the tile of Pirate King bears. Of all the crews to take up this game's challenge, few have ever managed to survive the ordeals they are put through, even fewer where every member of the crew survives...

I cannot tell you very much dear reader, for the game is a secret which is closely and jealously guarded by those who have knowledge of it. I have heard of the game's trials, but only a fraction of what there is to hear and discover. I may learn more as I follow the story of one crew in particular that are about to play in the game. This crew is quite the exceptional crew dear reader. Imagine, rookies who have defeated Shichibuki-warlords of the sea itself, challenged the World Government-the governing powers in their world and even their captain has broken into and _escaped_ the legendary gaol that is Impel Down!

According to my current knowledge, all members of this nine-man crew have bounties all their own! Quite the exceptional feat for this modern-day pirate age. If my information is correct, than they shall take this test along side two members of a different crew, one who's captain is said to have the power to destroy the world.

These two members are quite a threat in the powers of the World Government's eyes. One is said to posses the powers of the Mera Mera no Mi and be the son of the former Pirate King! The other is quickly rising in the pirate world and is said to be quite mysterious, said to have eaten the Estatico Estatico no Mi and always have a black cat with her.

Now dear reader, I shall tell you of the journeys this crew _has_ faced, _is_ facing and is _about_ to face...I will tell their story so others may know of this crew and the captain's ambitious dream...to be the next Pirate King!

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"It's beginning..."

Icy black waves lashed fiercely against the bare rocky outcrop that was protruding from the middle of the ocean, as if challenging the waves themselves to try and destroy it's very existence. White surf was quickly destroyed by the choppy waves that caused even more of the soapy surf to appear, in a never-ending cycle.

"The Game is about to begin Master..."

On top of one of the spires from the rocky outcrop, a cloaked figure stood over-looking the ocean. Shadows seemed to cloak the figure as the sun set before the being. A low chanting soon emerged from the figure, deep and commanding the voice was obviously male, but the words were unintelligible to the average human, which brings up the question...where did this one learn it?

"**WHY DO YOU AWAKEN ME SERVENT!?"** a deep voice boomed around the area, the voice seemingly emerging from the very ocean itself. A deep, chilling voice that held tales uncountable of the cruel acts committed.

"Apologies my Lord," the hunched figure replied as he stood up straight, hooded cloth fell back to reveal his sharp features, features that were quickly obscured from the inky blackness that was befalling the sky, "I just came to inform you of the next game..."

"Game? So the fools are at it again are they?**" **the voice chuckled menacingly as the waves seemed to shake from vibrations, but that was impossible right? What could possibly have that much power?

"Yes my Lord, the first test is to begin within the next 24 hours," the servant spoke, oblivious to the fact that the air was now beginning to grow colder and take on a sickly green tint...

"So soon? Well well, looks like this is gonna be fun!" the voice boomed while laughing a strange and sickly laugh that seemed to cause the waves to cower in fear and the stars above to shiver. The quickly setting sun seemed to grow fiercer for a second before the voice's laughter grew to a point where the it seemed to fill the air and echo to the ends of the sea. The sun seemed to cry out in sadness as it faded below the horizon, accompanied by the golden clouds that surrounded it like a halo.

"Yes my Lord, and the captain of the crew to be tested, is Monkey D. Luffy..." as the servant trailed off he noticed that the air was growing colder and that the sickly green tint was now rising off the waves in curls and wisps of smoke.

"_D_? So there is to be a D in this test, _interesting_," the voice breathed in a whispered voice, but not a whisper for talking softly, a whisper that promised of horrible things to come.

"Actually my Lord...there is to be _three_ D's," as the servant spoke this he grew fearful for his master had stopped making sounds all together. He fidgeted before a loud and chilling cackle filled the air and caused the waves, and the very air, to quaver and quake in fear while the green mist, for that was now what it was, rose off the ocean in large sheets and waves.

"**WAHAHAHAHA! AT LAST! THE NEW AGE DRAWS CLOSER!"** the voice yelled, a voice that held the tone of a laughing child, and that of a growling and blood-thirsty beast...One that even caused the servant to shiver in fear, his master was truly a fearful creature, "What is the first test!?" the voice yelled but softer than his previous shouts.

"The first test is given by Tara, the one of _Riddles and Games_," the servant replied as he looked towards where the sun had disappeared, the previous golden waves transforming quickly as the waves and surf started to turn pitch black, the air seemed to freeze time itself and the ocean floor seemed to quake.

"Tara? So the brats will have _a child's mind?_ Heh...aha ha....**WAHAHAHAHAHA! THE AGE OF TERROR AND DESTRUCTION DRAWS NEARER! THE AGE OF ****ETERNAL DARKNESS DRAWS NEAR!! ****MY AGE OF ETERNAL REIGN DRAWS NEAR!!!"**

Dark and menacing clouds formed overhead, blood-stained colored with the eye of the storm front being a pristine purple. Thunder rumbled loudly mixing with the wild and terrifying laughter of the voice, no, of the beast. Crackling steaks of lightning soon joined the two other sounds. All three seemed to merge to from a battle-cry...One that rang across all the seas and foretold of the coming danger. Yes, a new age was about to begin...One that would decide the fates of all mankind....

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"It's begun..." Bright coral pink eyes shined brightly as they stared intently at the small crystal clear pond before them. In the middle of the pond, reflecting back from a glass-like surface, was a sailing ship.

This ship was a large man-of-war sloop that sailed proudly on the high seas. A ship that seemed to proclaim that is could sail the sea a _thousand_ times...Two anchors at the bow of the ship resembled golden paws, while a flower-shaped figurehead sat atop the ship. A large petal-like mane circled around the smiling head of the lion. Wrapped around one of the mane's petals, was a lanky teen who was staring ahead smiling widely, one arm stretched multiple times around the petal, while the other held tightly onto a tattered straw-hat.

Atop the ship, flying high on the mast, was a pirate's jolly roger. One with the classic black backdrop and skull-and-crossbones. Atop the skull's head though, was the same straw-hat the teen below clutched to his head...this ship, and the crew it held, were about to face the journey of a life time...if they survived what layed ahead of them that is...

Now..._it's time for a test.._


	2. The Clock Ticks as Fate Begins

**I'm re-doing this whole story. From chapter one to chapter whatever, I'm redoing it. I'm going to revamp every chapter and give you guys 5 more by the end of Wednesday! I promise this one my pride as an author! No...I stake...my fangirl ways...Gasp if you must! If I can't even deliver chapters for a fanfic, I don't deserve to be and AceLu Fangirl...the yaoi has captured my soul! I must answer! INNER FANGIRL! GUIDE ME WITH YOU'RE GRACE AND STRENGTH!**

**Ah, also, quick note. This story is gonna be a gender-swap. Not right away mind you, actually, it's not gonna be a gender-swap till the sequel. Ah! Shimata...I wasn't supposed to tell you all about the sequels I was planning with the other council members...^^; Let's just pretend you didn't read that...ne? Please don't hurt me...**

Disclaimer: So we finally meet...The well-known disclaimer that scars all writers...I do not own One Piece, that right belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei. This is for entertainment purposes only and my attempts at understanding Oda's mind...which no one will ever be able to do...

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**CHAPTER ONE~~~The Clock forever silent, once again springs to life, the ticking tone reminding that time is short, and when gone...the ultimate price will be payed...**

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"Tara...the trials have now begun..." a gentle and soft voice echoed from within the confined space. It was a kind voice to be certain, but it also held a tone of prestige, an air of royalty, the resonating aura of power. A commanding voice that caused one to feel respect, and fear. That defining ring of authority left no question as to who was in charge, and who held he most knowledge of this, or any other, world.

"Eh?" A soft yet somehow equally loud voice. Innocent and imprudent like the child it belonged to. The voice held the memories of sad and rough times yes, but it also held the joy and innocence that all children are well known for. The voice was slightly high-pitched, as she was still young, but her attitude seemed to make up for that and give her an air of respect. She had unique hair compared to the average human, but when you think about it, pink _is _the color typically thought of when you think of a little girl. Even than this was no ordinary pale pink, this was a dark pink tint that lightened as the hair flowed down her back, it truly resembled that of sakura petals. Darkly colored tipped petals that slowly became lighter as your eyes traced down it's ridges and grooves.

Even with the unique pink hair that made her stand out as it was, one more odd feature of hers completed the image of typical little girl. Her eyes. No, they were not blue, nor green, nor brown, nor any other usual color, but purple. And I'm not speaking of the purple and violet crayon you used as a child, I'm speaking of a deep amethyst jeweled purple. The iris shown as bright as the summer sun yet was dark as the midnight sky. These eyes, at first glance, completed the image of a child, but when inspected closely, they were the one thing not child-like about her. For they held the experience and knowledge of a grown man, no, of a sage of untold knowledge would be a more apt description I suppose. This strange image she possessed gave her both the aura of a child and an adult, even her name showed this balance.

"Really! That means I get to play even more fun games with another crew!" Laughter and glee of a child yet true intentions and motives were hidden inside her adult personality. One she rarely enjoyed showing others, she preferred to remain behind her child-like behavior, and the ability to mask her emotions that came with it. As you most likely know by now dear reader, adults are very good at hiding true emotions but only for short amounts of time. Children on the other hand...well, they may be emotional creatures yes, but they have the ability to hide everything with their sudden emotional changes. Anger one second than happiness than fear. This sudden change allows them to mask their true feelings, a useful ability for those who make use of it's potential.

"Tara...this time _will _be different. The crew you are to face, they will be far from easy to beat..." the first voice spoke in reply. Kind this time as it usually was, gentle, but reprimanding. Gone was her air of leadership and royalty, replaced by a motherly air which wanted her child to be careful, to refrain from doing unnecessary things or taking unneeded risks.

The child addressed by Tara smiled softly before speaking up in a calming and reassuring tone, "You don't have to worry." Another advantage of the child-like mask she hid behind, the ability to see the full truth of the emotions others tried so hard to hide, just like a child can see through the many guises we put up. "After all," the child began to speak again, although instead of a calming and reassuring voice, it held more boasting and sounded like the child she was "They'll never have the strength to beat me! Especially since I am the ultimate master at games!" The girl finished her boasting by proudly extending her right arm, lifting her right hand up to form a vertical fist and extending her thumb straight up. A wide teeth-filling grin overtook her face, a small sparkle glinting from the pure white of her teeth. It all too much resembled something akin to a 'nice guy pose', something two green beasts of a small _village hidden by leaves _might be prone to do...

"Yet, miraculously, about every crew who does face you ends up beating you in your childish games," another voice spoke up from the large black space that surrounded them. This one was different from the first two voices, which were female. This voice held the tone of a male, but it was also still high in pitch. Another child, around Tara's age, was the one who had spoken. Although it sounded different from any other child's voice. Instead of the playful and innocent tone of a child, this voice was anything but. A stiff air of seriousness and a tone that sounded conceded and mocking. Not meant to be mean, but to sound adult and emotion-less. I suppose you say this boy would be the complete opposite of the girl Tara. Yin and Yang I suppose you could call it, for while Tara hated her adult side and hid behind a mask of childish behavior, this boy despised his childish innocence side and always hid behind the emotionless adult mask he had all but perfected.

"Urusai Yuki!" Tara snapped back fiercely, and for just reasons in her mind. The two all but hated each other, being completely opposite in both opinions and choices they had a fierce rivalry. Her amethyst violet eyes glared viciously at the pair of eyes that floated in front of her. Attached to a body veiled by the shadows of the room, the eyes were all you could see. They shone as bright as the other two, but seemed more distant and dull. They were green, which you may think normal but was anything but. Not the simple green of newly sprung-grass or of a freshly fallen leaf you may find on the ground, no, these were a dark color that never seemed to hold emotions for long. A pristine emerald color, that currently, held a glare of annoyance at the pink-haired girl in front of him.

"Children..._Settle_," the first voice spoke once more. She, for the voice belonged to that of a woman, never raised her voice. Why should she yell at the two when the situation could be handled with simple words that should not have to be yelled. Her previous motherly aura was still there, but now it held a more commanding and regal tone. More like that of a royal lady scolding a misbehaving heir than a mother settling a fight. It was still gentle, yes! The gentleness was just slightly suppressed to show the seriousness.

"Gomen..." both of the children's voices answered in a uniform manor, but their tones were completly opposite. Whereas Tara's tone held the full force of a dejected child, it also held traces of apology at her outburst. Yuki on the other hand, for that was his name to others, his tone was flat and seemed to hold no emotion, his eyes however gave away his facade. A slight hint of self-repremaiding and traces of an unspoken apology. With the squabble quickly setteled the first voice sighed softly, gently. A tone that held slight laughter and showed she would never get tired of the two children, no matter how opposite they were.

"Tara...Look closely," Tara looked up as the voice called for her attention. A quiet almost non-existent sound of a sleeve moving swiftly echoed in the dark area for only a second before a small dot of light appeared in the middle of the room. The light was odd to be sure, this only became more so as the light expanded and formed a large circle. The circle continued to crawl outwards and expand till it reached the the side of a plastic child pool you might find in a backyard. Small ripples began to move across the perfect circle, as they did, the light dimmed to where it no longer showed to be a beam of light, but a crystal clear pool of water that had a peaceful and serene aura around it. "...for these are your next opponents."

The pond rippled before the surface became crystal clear and as polished as glass, small movement on the surface of the water began to reveal a image of a ship. As the image grew bigger the ship was shown to be near a small harbor, in the middle of docking by the positions of the various people aboard the large ship. As if by magic, the picture suddenly seemed to breathe life as the everything in it started to move. The waves shifted while the ship rocked side to side, the crew ran around frantically in the chaos of docking, and a black flag waved from it's place atop the mast proudly. A picture of the skull and crossbones was seen clearly, as was a small straw-hat that sat atop the skull...

Tara blinked confusingly as she knelt down to look closer, after all, what kind of jolly roger-the flag that showed the fierceness of the crew-would have a _straw-hat? _Neutral eyes watched the chaotic movement of all the figures on board and tried to figure out which one was the captain. She saw odd crew-members certainly, green and blue hair, huge almost metal like arms, impossibly long noses, a clothed tanuki, and even a walking skeleton? Tara's mind was in a knot of questions as to what kind of captain could handle and command respect from a crew like this? One of the more normal looking members was a medium-height lanky boy who looked to be in his late teens. He was also the most hyper as he suddenly jumped off the ship and tried to run off with a huge smile that even Tara could see. _Definitely not that one, he's way to irresponsible and childish to be captain of a ship...Maybe the serious-looking green-haired man? _Tara's thoughts continued to whirl around as she saw the green-haired man jump over the rail and chase after the running boy, a look of clear annoyance on his face.

"What's the name of the crew and captain?" Tara asked as she leaned closer carefully while making sure to not fall into the small pond. She watched as the other figures on board finished furling all the sails and weighing anchor before quickly jumping off and running to catch up to the two men that had gotten ahead of them. The lanky hyper teen was laughing and running around energetically up ahead while even Tara could see how much they were yelling.

"I believe you and the captain might get along well as you have something in common about your behavior-"

"The complete lacking of all responsibility maybe..." Yuki muttered, disdain and scolding clearly evident in his tone while his emotionless eyes watched the active movements of the crew members, including the green-haired man trying, unsuccessfully, to catch the straw-hatted boy.

"Urusai baka Yuki!" Tara exclaimed loudly before jumping quickly to her feet and fiercely glaring at the boy in front of her, who in actuality, was only a inch or two taller than her.

"Children..." the gentle voice reprimanded in a tired sigh. The air of royalty and respect had now dimmed to all but a faint trace while the tone of a tired mother took it's place. A light chuckling sound could also be heard in the room along with irritated mumbling.

"Gomen-nasai."

"The crew's name is the Mugiwara crew, their captain, is Monkey D. Luffy."

"_D_!" the two children shouted back in unison, shock and worry evident in their eyes and tone-even Yuki's. The other two beings in the room, who had been silent up till this point, also made noises of surprise.

"This just got even more interesting...Which one is he?" Tara muttered to herself softly, tone and eyes reflecting a dark story that was not meant to be told. She than raised her voice to ask her question of who was captain. After all, if she was to test this crew, it would only be proper to know who to address as captain.

"The captain would be the one in the straw-hat," the gentle voice said, if listened closely, a small hint of amusement was embedded into her tone. Tara looked confused at the answer and tone as she looked back to the lanky teen wearing the straw-hat, who was still being chased by the others. The one who looked to be the most childish of them all.

"Him!" Tara asked in surprise and shock. Her eyes reflected doubt and suspicion. Even Yuki was surprised as to who was the captain, his eyes still held traces of no emotion, but they also held the traces of flickering emotions of shock and surprise.

"Don't be fooled children, you of all should know how appearances can be quite deceiving," the voice said, a tone that was directed towards the two children's personality's of their own. The moment of silence that followed allowed her to know the two children understood what she had said. Her tone took on a sadder note however as she spoke her next words, "...especially when it comes to those who carry the Will of D..."

"So he too carries it..." Tara muttered softly, sadness and sympathy tracing her voice, while interested eyes gazed at the figure. A small smile creeped it's way onto her face as she saw the green-haired swordsman, for she saw the three blades he carried at his side, was about to grasp the back of the oblivious teen-captain's vest.

"Try not to fail too badly this time, baby Tara," Yuki voiced in a slight superior tone that didn't sound quite right coming from the small child. The eyes held traces of mockery, that as the other three in the room suspected, casued Tara's smile to instantly vanished and change into a grimmace of anger. All this led to another argument between the child opposites.

"Urusai baka Yuki!" Tara shouted loudly in anger, no not a true anger of what we know now, but that childish anger that always leads to small squabbles and bruised arms.

"Make me crybaby!" Yuki snapped back, his superior and adult-like attitude had all but faded into that of the child-like personality he tried so hard to hide. After all, what child do you know that would miss out on a fight like this.

"I AM NOT A CRYBABY!" Clenched fists, closed eyes and irritated tone.

"ARE TOO!" Clenched fists and all thoughts of trying to be mature vaporised.

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"NOT!"

A frustrated and tired sigh could be heard from the once gentle voice, any air of authority she had was long since gone, replaced with the tired aura of a mother. Peals of gently echoing laughter had begun to ring out from another set of softly glowing eyes in the room. The laughter was amusing and held a cheery note to it. A soft irritated muttering accompanied the laughter, mutters that sounded like that of an irritated old man's.

"Children..." the once gentle voice had completely given up on stopping the childrens' fight while the said children continued to argue over the now forgotten subject in their minds. After all, what child actually remembers how a petty squabble was started, they'd rather just enjoy the moment after all.

"This is going to be quite the game this time, isn't it," a old voice rumbled from the set of eyes that had produced the irritated mutterings. A hint of a smirk was behind his tone as was the wary look of one that has been through quite a lot in his time. The three adults in the dark room, were once again, watching the figures as the green-haired man finally caught the hyper-active boy wearing the straw-hat.

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"Oi Luffy!" an angry swordsman yelled as he grasped the teen's shirt tightly with a clenched fist. The teen managed to run a few steps forward thanks to his rubber-like body, but he quickly reached the limit of his elasticity and snapped back into place much like a rubber-band would.

"You can't just run off like that!" a orange-haired women fiercely yelled as she ran up to the two men ahead of her. The small group she was with also had irritated scowls and was trying to catch up with the two.

"But I'm hun~gry!" the teen groaned, stretching the last word out annoyingly long causing the swordsman and orange-haired woman to twitch in annoyance. As if on cue, the teen's stomach let forth an impossibly large, and loud, rumble as the teen moaned again.

"Yohohoho," a unique laughter entered the conversation, the source originating from a tall walking skeleton that held a violet cane over one and arm and another arm steadied the small black top hat that was atop the large afro on his skull...wait...skeleton?

Yes, the infamous Mugiwara pirates were currently docked on the small island they had just arrived at, which was a little ways off their way to Fish-man Island. It was too small to have a large enough magnetic field to change the log pose, but it was a good place to grab any last-minutes supplies before entering the New World. Of course, this meant there were as many marines as there were pirates and bounty hunters.

The Mugiwara crew had just recently docked, captain's orders, so said captain could stock up on, what-else, more meat. He didn't want to run out half-way there, plus, all the meat that Sanji has gotten at Sabody was almost gone for some odd reason...

There was another, stranger reason also, a strong current had somehow grabbed their ship of it's original course and caused them to head straight to the island. Of course this surprised their orange-haired navigator the most. But...the grand line was an unpredictable place like that. Well, nothing could be done about it now, but it still caused some suspicion among a few of the more...ahem...alert members of the crew.

"Meeeaaaattt!" screamed the energetic and hyper human-force-of-rubber that was Luffy as he raced through the streets after finally escaping the swordsman's deadly grasp.

"Matakun, he just can't remember that he has a three-hundred million bounty on his head, can he? Or that he recently fought at Marine-fold which makes the Government want to get rid of him even more..."

"I think it's more like he doesn't care than remember," their excellent sniper replied to Nami's voiced concern before both dropped their heads in a dejected sigh.

"Oi oi, Mugiwara can take care of himself just fine," a large cyborg said while walking up behind them, causing some unease among the crowds due to his current perverted, speedo fashion style.

"I'm not worried about that, I'm more worried he'll do something stupid and marines will be chasing us again. Like always," Nami moaned quietly while Franky became silent, he really couldn't argue with that.

"I'll protect you my sweet Nami-swaaaan!" a strange man said as he twirled, yes twirled, in circles with hearts-for-eyes while looking at the navigator. He too was starting to cause unease among the others.

"Love-cook," the irritated green-haired swordsman muttered as he watched Sanji twirl in mellorine mode. Nami seemed to be ignoring it as this happened often, especially since the crew had been reunited after the Sabody/Kuma incident.

"What was that marimo?" the previously-infatuated cook muttered while lighting a cigarette before turning to glare at Zoro, who was oblivious to what he was saying, as usual.

"I forgot," Zoro muttered before looking around to try and find a path of destruction, that's most likely the way Luffy had taken, being the main cause of destruction on each island they visited.

The crew was currently walking down a old beige, brick cobble-stoned road, the stones seemed as if they had been placed along the path at random and in different sizes, the overall effect however, made the road look quite nice to tourists and average passer-by.

The current road they were on was also one of the main streets in the small town. They were also attracting a bit of attention-well, it was kinda hard not to stare at a 8' 8½" feet walking/talking skeleton with a large puffy, black afro, a blue-nosed reindeer carrying a blue backpack, wearing a red hat with a white x and sporting red pants to complete the look. A perverted cyborg wearing nothing but a unbuttoned tropical shirt and a speedo, along with shocking blue hair, also caused staring. Oh, the fact that they all belonged to the crew of Monkey D. Luffy, son of the world's most wanted man, might also be the cause of staring.

Robin, being the sensible one of the crew, had volunteered to stay behind and guard the ship while the others procured supplies. She also had been wary of the current that had dragged them here as it was most odd, even for the Grand Line. She had also been one of the last ones on the ship when leaving due to their overly energetic captain running ahead to find somewhere to eat. After the others jumped off and followed, she volunteered to stay behind to reassure the cyborg and navigator, who soon joined the chase for their captain.

Robin walked over to the side of the ship to look at the small town. It was on flat and level ground and could be seen quite clearly from the harbor, a haphazardly scattered pattern of houses and buildings that fit the rural island perfectly in Robin's opinion. A commotion at the other side of the docks brought her attention to a large marine ship that was just docking.

"Yare yare, this is unexpected," she muttered softly as she saw the form of Smoker-taisa and his faithful subordinate Tashigi exit from the ship. Smoker was smoking two thick cigars as usual, thick smoke whirling around his head, and was currently searching around, as if he expected Luffy to pop up laughing before running away.

Another ruckus brought Robin's attention to a small yellow water-craft that was being tied to the dock, stepping off it was what looked to be a taller and older looking version of Luffy, Robin smiled softly as she saw the older brother of their captain step off the small craft before a young girl, around Luffy and Usopp's age, jumped onto the docks after him, a coal-black cat sitting calmly on her shoulders.

"Looks like Captain-san will be in for a surprise today," Robin chuckled softly before turning behind her as she felt a wind start to kick up. Far in the distance, if one looked close enough, one could see a large storm front, basically a huge cloud that spanned for miles and miles on end. This storm front looked as if it was heading towards the island. It was crimson red in color and held a menacing thunder-and-lightning storm within it's center. The wind heading towards the small town seemed to draw the storm closer, and forewarn of the deadly threat that loomed on the horizon...

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**x**

_"Laughing child oh so young, why have you begun to sung?__"_

Zoro's head suddenly snapped up while eyes narrowed forward. His running slowed to a stop as he watched the others run ahead of them still trying to locate their captain. The reassuring felt of his swords calmed him a bit, but not much. Narrowed eyes glared towards something unseen in the distance. A curious glare behind him reminded him the cook was also with him, and he too sensed something was wrong.

"Oi Marimo, what's wrong?" Sanji asked as the others walked on ahead of them, oblivious of the two stopping, Sanji might have had large amounts of dislike and annoyance towards the swordsman, but he knew when to swallow his pride and listen to the man's instinct. Zoro glanced at the blonde-haired cook out of the corner of his eye before letting a small sigh escape and shaking his head while starting to walk forward.

"Nan demo nai...just thought I heard something..." his voice trailed off as he glanced upwards towards the clock-tower in the middle of the old town. It was easily the largest building there. He would have continued his glare a while yet, had not Sanji, rudely, told him he was going the wrong way. An eerie voice filled the air once more, a lullaby-like sound emerging from the hidden tune that was carried by the wind...

**x**

_"A memory's wish you seek, upon the sky's clouded path."_

Smoker's eyes glared ahead in irritation, a thick cloud of smoke hanging around his head like it always did. His annoyance as of late stemed from the rumor that had brought them to this island, supposedly reports showed that both 'Mugiwara no Luffy' and 'Heikan no Ace' were supposed to dock at this town sometime today. Not that he put much faith in those reports. Tashigi was following her Commander and Captain faithfully as usual while rattling on about some sort of sword she'd won from an outlaw they had fought a few days ago before she aruptly crashed into the Logia-user's back.

"S-Smoker-taisa, daijoubu?" Tashigi asked hesitantly as she saw Smoker's tense glare towards the clock-tower. She looked at the large brick structure with confusion before glancing back at Smoker to see his eyes were layered with suspicion. If anything had been a good teacher to him all these years, it was caution. So as not to worry the girl behind him however he just slowly shook his head before releasing a smoke-layed sigh.

"Hai hai, just thought I heard something," Smoker replied to the confused looking girl's concerns, unknowlingly repeating Zoro's earlier statement. He started walking forward again with Tashigi following right behind him as always before starting to talk about the meito swords again. Along the way though, Smoker was noticing that almost all of the nearby animals were running haphazerdly and making sounds of distress, while birds cawed nervously as they flew towards the center of the forest, '..._Somethings not right here...It's be nice if it was just me though...' _

**x**

_"Silent bells long since lost, why've you begun to rung?"_

Robin's gaze drifted up from the book she was reading, however, instead of seeing her unique and comical nakama running across the deck like she usually did, now all she saw was an empty deck beneath her. The Paramecia user stood up before gently shutting her book and setting it down on the small table beside her. She walked towards the railing where she had first seen the storm front a few minutes earlier, in that short time already the storm had grown to more than twice it's size and, even from this distance, Robin could hear the thunder that rumbled loudly in the sky. She had a hard look of caution on her face, years of experience taught her to always take precautions.

She glanced towards the town, worry for her nakama starting to take hold of her thoughts, would they make it back in time? Robin shook her head slightly while reprimanding herself lightly, as long as Nami was with them they would sense the storm in plenty of time. Besides, her nakama were plenty strong, and she knew she could depend on them in any situation.

A last glance towards the town showed the one thing that seemed to stand out. The large red-bricked tower caused small shivers to run down her spine, something was on it's way. The clock-tower began to chime loudly as the voice she had heard earlier began again, the voice of a child for certain...

**x**

_"If only this future, showed us your past..."_

A dark-haired man looked up from the thick rope he was tying to the wooden post before glancing at the town behind him. A young girl in her late teens was a few feet ahead of him and waiting to go into town.

"Ace-kun?" the girl asked as she saw the expression on the man's face. The cat on the girls shoulder meowed slightly, a melancholy and worried not. The Mera Mera user looked towards the girl in confusion for a second before shaking his head slightly and finishing up the rope he was tying. He quickly grabbed the bag beside him before jumping up and jogging to catch up with the girl, "Daijoubu?"

"Hai," Ace replied as he scratched his head sheepishly, "Just thought I heard something..." Ace said as the girl looked a worried before starting to walk towards the town again. Ace sighed slowly before lowering his hand back to his side and looking towards the storm front he had noticed a while ago, it was larger now, much larger.

He could see the not-so-distant flash of white-hot lightning streaking across the clouds, which were a dark crimson red. Ace adjusted the bag's strap on his shoulder before running to catch up with the girl in front of him, _I don't wanna worry her, but I have a bad feeling about this place...I wasn't the only one who heard that voice, right? _

Ace shook his head slightly as he too echoed the words and thoughts of the previous onlookers of the storm. A quick glance at the clock-tower did nothing to reassure his worries. Something indeed was quite wrong...

**x**

_"Crying child oh so sad, why've you sent the call?"_

Luffy laughed loudly as he ran through the streets, unknowingly carving a path of destruction in his wake as he always did. He was heading towards the food distract that he had caught the sent of as soon as they had docked, with heavenly aromas wafting through the air, he knew he was close by.

His eyes suddenly snapped open before he slid to the stop, arms pinwheeling for a second to keep his balance as he hopped on one foot for a few seconds to keep his balance. He put his arms and leg down before looking all around him in confusion before his lips became pursed and he crossed his arms.

"Nan da? I thought I heard someone call my name?" Luffy muttered quietly, an uneasy feeling started to worm it's way into his chest. Before it could increase however, he shrugged it off and started running as soon as the smells of meat hit him again. He grinned before running faster towards the smells, only growing uneasy once as he spotted the clock-tower. He felt odd looking at it, as if something bad was going to happen to him and his nakama, he blamed it on hunger when he saw food stalls ahead of him, forgetting all about his unfounded worries, it couldn't be anything too bad, right?

Overhead, atop the large clock-tower that dominated the small town in it's shadow, stood a strange figure. If one were to look close enough, you could make out a small child-sized figure with long hair that reached to the ankles, and if you payed close enough attention, you may have even been able to see her shining eyes and their unique color. Excellent hearing and concentration, and you would have even heard the song that she was now humming too softly to be heard as she glanced at the storm in the distance.

_All the pieces are now in place, all that's left, is to make the first move_...

With these simple actions and thoughts, the clock has once again begun to tick as fate chooses new players for it's game. This time however, there will be far more at steak than an bruised ego. Far more...

* * *

Japanese/English Translation Guide:

Baka-Idiot

Urusai-Literly means 'You're loud' but carries the comand of be quiet. Basically means shut up

Tanuki-basically a racoon, it's a joke that Chopper is thought to be one when in his child-like form

Gomen/Gomen-nasai-means 'sorry' or 'I'm very sorry' Basically carries the entent of apoligizing

Mugiwara-means 'Strawhat'

Nan da-means 'What the' basically, at least that's what I use it for

Nan demo nai-means 'Nothing' or 'It's nothing'

Daijoubu-when asked, means 'Are you alright/ok?'

Nakama-this is tought to explain. It can mean you're crewmates, friends, co-workers or members of a club. It can also, in some occasions, be used to describe family. Well, once you know what Nakama means in One Piece, you just **know.**

Matakun-a heavily expressed form of sighing. It's like someone letting out a large sigh with a mutter.

Yare yare-usually means 'Oh my' or 'My my.' Robin uses it quite frequently I found out.

-kun-common name ending for boys

-taisa-I think it means captain or commander, I just know that's what Smoker is addressed as heh...

-san-carries the form of 'Miss' 'Mrs' or 'Mr' Basically the polite way to say someones name until you know them better

Marimo-Sanji's nickname for Zoro, well insult really. It's a form of sea-green moss, the same color as Zoro's hair!

Mellorine-It's a One Piece joke that I'm not able to explain fully. Basically it's Sanji's 'try to impress girls' mode

Mera Mera no Mi-one of the Akuma no Mi or 'Devils Fruits' Ace's is mera mera, mera is the sound a flame makes as it cackles

Gomu Gomu-not sure if I used this phrase yet, but it means Rubber. Not Rubber rubber, just, rubber.

Meito-okay, when Tashgi mentions the meito swords, all you need to know is that they're powerful swords, search on wiki for more info

Heikan no Ace-'Firefist Ace'

Mugiwara no Luffy-'Strawhat Luffy'

Hope that was all of the japanese I used, if you don't understand something either ask or you can google if for better results than my incompetant explanations heh...As for the song in italics at the end there, I can't give you full lyrics, yet, as it's a key part to the story...And I'm making this up as I go along heh.


	3. The Lurking Storm Draws Near

**Chapter Two ~ The Horizon's Approaching Storm **

"They are the strange crew now, aren't they?" a soft voice mused as a pair of bright eyes surveyed their current surroundings. Amethyst in color, the eyes were currently following the Mugiwara's path from their place atop a large town clock-tower, eyes that looked out from the small girl they belonged to. The odd girl hummed a light tune to herself as she clicked her dull, knee-length, crimson boots together, causing a dull _tap tap_ to echo throughout the air. Small, silver-buckled straps on the side of the boots added a touch of goth to the look, or so the girl thought. She bent down to tug lightly on long sock-like stockings that were stripped with a pattern of light and dark purple stripes, they stopped just above the upper-thigh.

Bright rays of golden sun reflected off a dark, coal black top that reached the young child's waist and was held up by two thin black straps. Small white chess pieces decorated the bottom right of the shirt. Covering the girls arms were long fingerless gloves that reached up to the elbow. They had a pattern of black and crimson, the stripes on the wrist were covered by two bracelets on each arm. The girl began to giggle as her violet eyes scanned the town.

She spotted two member of the Mugiwara crew split off from the small group and start to head down a separate path, a blue-haired man with abnormally large arms and chest, followed by an afro-wearing...skeleton? She also spotted their captain further on ahead, the boy with the straw-hat, running towards a bar which seemed to be wafting delicious scents through the air.

The girl scanned the town once again, looking for the last two people she needed before anything could begin. She finally spotted the two on a worn out path, they were heading towards the same bar the D child had been running so eagerly towards. Tara smiled to herself while walking to the edge of of the clock-tower's faded green tiles.

She balanced on the roofs curved edge for a few seconds while summing up the height between her and the 18-or-so story drop beneath her. She flashed a mischievous smirk to herself before bending he knees and taking a light skip off the side of tower. The wind sounded as loud as thunder as she dropped faster and faster towards the roofs below her, which were quickly getting closer. Instead of panicking, or laughing, like some people would, she had her eyes lightly closed and was humming a small tune. Right before her boots touched the roof however, her eyes snapped open to reveal violet eyes, ones with no iris.

The worn-out blue-tiled roof beneath her didn't even make a sound as she landed daintily onto the apex of the roof before slightly bending he knees. A small breezed blew her hair around her and gave an an overwhelming aura. A quick smirk showed the girl had no harm, physical or mental, before she turned her head to look behind her. The two she had seen from the clock-tower were on the path straight behind her.

She saw the two walking side-by-side towards the bar, before the girl could even smile however, the male, and elder of the two turned towards her direction as if somehow sensing her presence, and looked towards the roof. Tara quickly slid her feet out from under her and slid down the opposite side of the roof, clutching the uneven tip of the roof with the edges of her fingers. She stared at the chipped and fading blue paint while hearing the settling _swish_ of her pastel black skirt that had a hem of pink, paper-like fills. Tara listened intently as she heard the male respond to something the girl with him had asked.

Deeming it safe to move after a few more seconds, the colorfully dressed girl pulled herself up easily before regaining her balance, her movements making even a skilled acrobat feel shame. She looked at the faces of the two in front of her closer before smiling the smallest of smiles, which would have been quite cute, if not for the mischievous look in her eyes that screamed of nothing good. All the sounds from the town of the villagers gossiping, moving from stall to stall, dropping pots and other heavy objects, everything...seemed to dim as the girl giggled under her breath.

_'Bright orange hat with two smiling faces-one frowning, one smiling, check. Black messy hair and childish freckles, check. No shirt with the tattoo of Whitebeard-san on the back, check. And tired looking eyes that hold the small mischievous look known to most D's, check', _Tara smiled wider before looking over at the girl walking beside the orange-hatted D.

_'Chestnut-brown hair, dark green eyes, check. Large baggy clothing with bucket hat on head, check. Two small swords, one purple one black, on each hip, check. Large clunky boots, check. And black cat with purple eyes, no iris, check. The last two pieces have finally stepped onto the board...Time to move...'_

The young girl straightened up before lightly dusting herself off, bending her knees and sliding towards the edge of the roof. She than lightly jumped onto the drainpipe beneath her before executing a graceful leap onto a stack of boxes below her. A few quick skips from box to box allowed her feet to quickly and safely touch the ground. A small smile had begun to appear on her face, before she looked towards the docks, causing her smile to immediately turn into a fierce scowl.

"He wouldn't dare..." Tara muttered angrily before setting off in a mad dash towards the docks. Her mind was so full of jumbled thoughts that she barely even took notice of the shopping people, peaceful scenery, or even the sweet aromas that were coming from all the food stalls. The only thing she could make out was the one thing everyone was talking about, two of the supernovas were on the island and some of the Whitebeard pirates division commanders.

She finally made it to the docks in what seemed like no time at all, she walked down one of the wooden docks before standing on the edge and panting heavily while gazing at the storm front in the distance.

"So he's finally going to intervene is he?" the girl voiced her unanswered question in anger as the wind began to pick up around her. She clenched her fists, knuckles starting to turn white, as icy-black waves started to clash together at faster and fiercer rates. Tara glared in the direction of the storm as the wind started to grow strong enough to make her dull pink hair, which reached all the way to the ankles, sway from side to side. Amethyst eyes seemed to fill with rage and slight worry as the sea-salt began to ride on the fiercely blowing winds. It looked like the test was almost ready to begin...

**x**

**o**

**x**

"Oi Michelle, what are we even doing way out here?" a tall dark-haired man asked the girl walking in front of him, he was lacking a shirt and sported a brightly colored orange hat. Dark knee-length shorts matched dark-colored boots that kicked up dirt and sand on the worn-out path they were on. The man's appearance was enough to cause many people on the streets to stare at him, mostly in fear, especially since the mark of Whitebeard's crew was on his back. All this showed him to be commander of the second division of the White-beard pirates, Heikan no-

"Gomen-nasai Ace-kun. I just needed someone's help in trying to find out about...something important," the girl, Michelle, responded while smiling faintly under her large navy-blue, bucket-shaped hat. Her eyes were ice cold as her smile faltered at the end of her sentence.

"And for that, you had to drag me back all the way to the first half of the Grand Line?"

"Well...It was really important that I come to this island today, and I needed _someone_ to go with me..."

"Why? You probably as strong as me or Marco hands down, you could beat up anyone who even tries to mess with you, and if you don't, Kayla will," Ace chuckled at the end of his reply while gesturing towards the meowing black cat on the girl's shoulders. It had a coal-black coat and wicked beige claws, that were sheathed, the most amazing feature however, was the cat's glowing amethyst eyes. Eyes that held no iris'.

"Yeah, but..." Michelle stopped walking and started to fidget from side-to-side while twisting the edge of her large coat in her hands, "I needed someone to help me find out the information and you were the only one on the ship who wasn't busy with something else," the girl spoke quickly and in one breath, as if afraid she might be interrupted. Ace smiled a sympathetic smile before looking at the road in front of him again.

"Hai hai, you really should learn to breathe between words though you know, and you're lucky I am one of the few who can understand your rushed speaking."

"Heh...how do you understand my rush words? Everyone else just looks at me funny before asking me to repeat myself," Michelle asked as she peered at the flame-user from under the rim of her large hat. Ace smiled largely, as he always does before explaining about his baby brother.

"Luffy! He always talked fast, faster than you even, and you eventually got used to it, although sometimes he talked so fast even I couldn't understand him," Ace chuckled while Michelle let out a tiny and serene smile.

"Look at it this way Ace-kun, maybe you'll get to meet your brother on this island, he was supposed to leave for Fish-man island soon, so maybe he stopped here after gathering his crew back together!" '_Bingo',_ Michelle thought with a sly smile as she saw Ace smile widely before letting out a chuckle.

Michelle watched him as he started to talk more about his little brother, she giggled very softly, he was always so happy when he talked about his little brother. She was happy on the inside, getting him to accompany her had been a lot harder than she first thought it would be. She was lucky he had such a large brother complex, otherwise she may have never gotten this far without his help. She would have been to scared to continue.

She gazed ahead of them, hoping her sources were right. On her shoulders, the black cat was meowing gently, as if trying to cheer the young girl up. Michelle smiled once again as she reached up to pet the cat. Michelle sighed in exhaustion as she tugged at her long black coat, which was making it hard to stand the heat. A pattern of interchanging X's and O's trailed the hem of the jacket, sapphire blue denim pants covered her lower half while the hem trailed on the ground slightly, all-in-all, she looked more suited to be on a winter island.

Her dark emerald eyes scanned the area as her thick black boots-much like Ace's-kicked up dust on the old dirt road. She seemed to be searching for something in particular. She rested her hands at her side, where two small swords were resting. One had a dark violet sheath, the other was a forest green. She was about to say something to her companion when a large rumble interrupted her before she could speak.

She looked beside her to see Ace had a light pink blush across his face and was scratching one of his cheeks in embarrassment. Michelle tried to hide a smile while the cat on her shoulders started to meow with a trace of light laughter in her tone.

"Ne, how about we stop and get something to eat Ace-kun? I think there's a bar up ahead, I can't make out the name though, you?" Michelle asked politely while looking over at Ace to see his blush had disappeared and he was now trying to make out the name in the distance.

"Ah it looks like," Ace strained his eyes as he tried to make out the faded lettering above the entrance, the wind was beginning to kick up the dust, which wasn't helping very much. He was finally able to make out a name on a faded sign above the entrance, "looks like it's called, Clover's Bar."

"N-n-n-nani!" Michelle exclaimed loudly, scaring not only Ace, but many civilians in the current area. Michelle further surprised Ace by jumping forward before throwing out her hands and balancing them on Ace's head, causing the Logia-user to bend over uncomfortably, as his arms windmilled for balance. After a few seconds in this position, he suddenly found himself face-first on the ground.

"Itee! What the heck are you doing?" Ace mumbled as he struggled up from his current position. He rubbed his head before looking back towards Michelle with the full intent of telling her off, but all words died in his throat upon seeing the look in her eyes.

"N-nani? What is it? Eh?" Ace had, at first, been worried upon seeing the painful look in her eyes-a look that seemed to speak of nothing but bad memories, but then he had grown confused when Michelle's expression turned into a smile, a smile that could match the devil himself, or worse, that weird Queen of Kamabaka Kingdom that Luffy had befriended, "M-Michelle...you're kinda worrying me here..."

"Looks like another game is about to start..." Ace only looked more confused as the cat around Michelle's shoulders began to get agitated and meow loudly, "Easy Kayla...you know the rules as well as I...So, what will you do, Tara-san?"

**x**

**o**

**x**

"Perceptive and clever as always, aren't you Michelle-nee-chan," Tara muttered to herself as she watched the young girl help the confused-looking boy up from her position on a near-by roof-top. Tara smiled widely before beginning to leap across roofs, her steps keeping in time to an unheard melody. She than started humming softly, a deep mysterious tune that had volumes to tell. The girl watched as people flashed by and colors faded together.

"Oh?" Tara stopped her dancing and humming upon spotting the Mugiwara crew-well part of it anyways, "It looks like their navigator is starting to sense their first challenge, an unexpected one... I wonder what their saying," Tara's voice still held a trace of anger upon learning of the storm heading towards them, but she cleared her head of it before leaping across two more roofs and landing on a faded red one right behind the group. The reindeer seemed to be looking up at the navigator, concerned.

**x**

**o**

**x**

"Are you okay Nami?" the doctor asked as he trotted towards her, doctor instincts beginning to kick in when he saw the navigator slow down and start to lose color in her face.

"Yeah, you look pale," Usopp said while doubling back and standing beside the reindeer, voicing Chopper's observations of the girl. Sanji and Zoro also stopped upon seeing the others ahead of them. Sanji seemed to appear next to Nami in a flash.

"I'll gladly carry you if you faint, Nami-swan!" Sanji exclaimed while spinning in circles with hearts for eyes, mellorine expression fixed firmly upon his face.

"Love-cook." Zoro responded, disdain apparent in his tone, causing Sanji to snap out of his trance and glare back at the swordsman.

"What was that marimo?" the cook asked with distaste as he light another cigarette, his previous one had gone out a little while ago.

"You heard me Ero-cook," Zoro replied in an irritated tone while resting his hands on his swords, anyone could tell what was coming, in 3-

"Oi you wanna fight moss-head!" 2-

"Bring it on curly-brows!" 1...Sparks were soon erupting between the two, Zoro was blocking Sanji's furious and coordinated kicks with carefully determined attacks of his own. The two were fighting back in forth while the other three ignored them, they were used to the spectacle by now. Nami however, well, when she was spaced out with wide panic-filled eyes, like she was now, they tended to worry.

"Oi mina, we may have trouble!" Nami exclaimed loudly interrupting the two's fight a little ways ahead, they knew that tone, that tone meant a storm was coming, a big one... As if to agree with the navigator, the wind started blowing harder where before, it had been barely a breeze when they had arrived on the island.

"Eh, what is it? What's wrong?" Chopper asked, panic already starting to appear, while both he and Usopp were beginning to worry. This showed when the sniper began to have beads of nervous sweat appear on his forehead before trickling down.

"There's a storm coming, but it's not normal...when we got here the skies were clear, but because of the above 80 degrees temperature of the ocean and the winds coming from the west, it's causing the water to evaporate and rise, since it's rising faster than normal, the water droplets formed are forming the cumulonimbus clouds way to fast! This storm is way to abnormal, even for the Grand Line!"

As soon as the explanation was finished, all men slowly tilted their heads to the side, question marks almost appearing around them in mid-air. Nami sighed heavily before a tick mark appeared above her eye. Why must she be the navigator of such imbeciles?, "Matakun. A hurricane on par with Aqua Lagura is coming!" she yelled at the top of her voice, which was almost silent as the wind whipped her words away before the sound could be heard. The smell of salt from the sea was beginning to mix in with something else in the air...something far more sinister than a storm.

"**N-NANI!"** all four men exclaimed in shock. Zoro and Sanji had long ago forgotten their fight and were starting to get worried, they kept their cool however, they knew how powerful Aqua Lagura had been, and they'd rather not go through that again. In sharp contrast, Usopp and Chopper were currently running around in circles screaming their heads off and scaring some (all) of the remaining pedestrians on the streets. Their screeching went something along the lines of '_We're all gonna die, we're all gonna die!'_

"Listen, we don't have much time!" Nami yelled loudly, breaking all of them out of their trances of silent contemplation or screaming, "We have to split up and warn the others **now**, otherwise we're stuck here!" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, when Nami said a storm was coming, they had to listen, "Usopp, you're in charge of finding Franky and Brook, warning them and bringing them back to the ship, got it?"

"Ryokai!" Usopp said saluting while his knees started to shake, he waited behind to see Nami's prediction on how long they had until the storm hit, if he couldn't find the others in time, he'd rather be on the ship under Nami's navigation than on the small island.

"Zoro!" Nami began before stopping herself, she stared at the swordsman for a few seconds before turning and pointing at the small reindeer,"Chopper!"

"Oi!" the swordsman looked aggravated as he addressed the navigator. He wasn't as if he would get lost, this town was way to small for that, right?

_'I'd better not send Zoro, he'll just get lost like he did the five times on the way here', _Nami thought quickly before addressing the small doctor again, "Find Luffy and drag him back to the ship if you have too, Zoro you go with him-Luffy's too strong to be dragged back by Chopper alone-and don't get lost!"

"Understand!" Nami asked/shouted with authoritative tone clear in her words. Usopp and Chopper nodded quickly while Zoro looked agitated, "Good! Now listen up! There are four stages to a hurricane! First is the tropical disturbance, next is tropical depression, tropical storm, and last is the tropical cyclone-which is the part where if we're not out of this area," she paused in her sentence, she couldn't help adding the effect, "We die..."

The navigators words hung in the air ominously as the wind was started picking up more and more at a steady pace, which was the most frightening thing dear reader. For you see, a quick and fierce wind would not last long enough to power the storm, however, a steady source of fuel that keeps increasing every second, well, what do you thing would happen?

"The tropical disturbance is when the water vapor from the warm ocean starts condensing to form the clouds, this releases the heat within the air, that's when the warm air rises and is pulled into columns of clouds. As the evaporation and condensation continue, the columns grow higher and bigger. The wind circulating around the center in a specific pattern, as this column of air reaches more clouds, it becomes a cluster of thunderstorms."

The men stared at the navigator, each one having different expressions, Zoro was picking something out of his ear with a bored look, Usopp had his head tilted to the side and his arms crossed, his lips were pursed as he tried to understand the navigator-who was a very fast talker. Chopper had a dizzy look in his eyes and was giggling slightly and saying something about pretty stars...Sanji was full-on focused on Nami with rapt attention. Did he understand any of what had been said? Not really. Did he worship Nami enough to pretend he knew what was going on? Absolutely.

Nami let out a sigh before trying to think of an analogy she could use or _something _that would make these idiots understand the danger they were in, "Alright...ocean heat up, rises into air, air gets hot and forms large clouds. As time goes by, clouds get bigger, if that large amount of hot hair reaches more clouds, it becomes a thunderstorm. Understand now?" By the shocked look on their faces, she took that as a yes.

"Matakun...Okay pay attention, everyone needs to be back at the ship before the forming column of heated air hits the storm front that's been steadily moving our way," Nami spoke rapidly while pointing out the crimson clouds behind them, far enough away to give them time to get to the ship, but close enough to show how menacing they were, "So before those gray clouds above us, hits the red clouds behind us. Got it?"

"Ryokai!" Usopp cried while running off to find Franky and Brook. Zoro yawned while walking off in a random direction before Chopper corrected him (twice) before they managed to get on the right trail to finding Luffy, the trail of broken stalls and angry owners might have giving them a hint to where he had been heading...

"What about me Nami-san?" Sanji asked as he watched the navigator smile sinisterly. She pointed to the large and heavy bags they had manged to purchase while they had been following Luffy's path of carnage.

"You're going to help me carry the bags back to the ship, Sanji-kun," Nami directed, saying the last few words using the strongest puppy pout she had. It worked, perfectly.

"HAAAAAI NAMI-SWAAAAN!" Sanji proclaimed as he twirled around before grabbing the bags, effectively stopping his twirl but not his love-love eyes or expression. Nami smirked as she started heading towards the docks, Sanji right behind her. Sometimes, it was nice to have a personal slave that did everything you asked...nice indeed...

**x**

**o**

**x**

"How is she _not_ the Captain?" Tara asked herself in a rhetorical voice with slight surprise. If the navigator was this good, than surely that straw-hatted D wasn't as idiotic as he looked or acted. '_I bet it's just a front so his enemies will be more thrown off guard when he attacks!' _Tara thought triumphantly while her fist landed securely in the palm of her hand. Little did she know that the captain of the Mugiwara's acted and thought just as he looked...

Tara glanced back down to see the small group split of into three. The orange-haired girl and blonde one headed towards the docks, the reindeer and green-headed one went headed in the direction the captain had went, while that kid with the long-nose started to run in the general direction where the blue-haired man and skeleton had been headed. She giggled as she saw the reindeer correct the swordsman's direction twice, in succession. This crew was quite diverse.

Tara looked around the town before looking towards the docks. She spotted something out of the corner of her eyes and turned to look at it before paling. The clouds that navigator had been talking about were starting to form faster than any cloud should be, and she had a pretty good idea who was causing this storm to happen.

"You monster...you know the rules better than any of us!" Tara almost yelled in frustration, but simply hissed the words in a whisper before turning back to where the bar and her other three _test-takers_ were heading, the three most important of this test... Tara looked back at the clouds before narrowing her eyes in anger and jumping into the air swiftly. A short drop resulted in a graceful landing atop the roof in front of her, pale pink hair sweeping around her in the wind.

The girl jumped over a couple more roofs before she skid to a halt, seeing something that made her stare in wonder before smiling widely. A few feet ahead of her, standing in front of a doughnut stall, was the marines she had heard a few of the villagers talking about earlier. '_Perfect! If those three stay here on the island during that storm, than we're all doomed...but if they get on the ship quick enough, than everything will be okay! And now I know just how to get them to hurry to the ship...'_

Tara looked at the marines again. The one standing in front of the doughnut stand, was munching on a box of them and looked to be quite old by the looks of him. He was wearing a tan dog mask with the lower face revealed, although the mask caused too many shadows to see the face clearly. And on his back was, just what Tara had been hoping for, the marine coat signaling the mark of Vice-admiral.

The other marines were looking around, a few were alert as if searching for someone, and none more so than a marine who had a unique head full of a white or silver hair color. He actually looked to be younger than his hair made him appear to be, in his mid-20s to late-20s at most. Foul blackish smoke was wafting from two thick cigars he had in his mouth while a traditional-looking jutte was strapped to his back.

"Let's see if _this _doesn't get those three to hurry faster...You wanna play games-" in mid-sentence a strange thing happened. As Tara, supposedly spoke the creature's name who had been the cause of the storm, it seemed as if the whole world had been put on mute, the name the girl had spoken was not heard by a single ear. The girl continued her threats as if the name had never been blocked from being heard, "-than fine! Don't forget who you are dealing with beast! I am the _master _of Riddles and games! So do your worst, I know, I _know _for sure! These guys will not disappoint! They _will _be the ones. To. Defeat. YOU!"

A fierce howling of the wind blew past the girl fiercely, her long hair was whipped towards the front of her face as the wind seemed to bite at her skin. The girl growled lowly, she wasn't going to let this monster interfere in _her _test!


	4. A Reunion of a Messed Up Family

**Chapter 3 ~ A D Family Meeting!**

**X**

**o**

**x**

"Did you hear? They say that Mugiwara no Luffy, one of the eleven supernovas, is in this town!"

"Really?" I heard that Hiken no Ace and another of the Whitebeard Pirate division commanders was here too!"

"What's going on in this place today!"

Ace and Michelle listened to the frenzied gossip of the town that was spreading around like wildfire. Michelle quietly giggled as all the talk eventually reached their ears.

"It looks like your brother may be on this island after all, Ace-kun."

"Heh, if it's him, it wouldn't surprise me," Ace said smiling even wider as the two walked through the bar's old swinging doors. When they did enter the squeaking doors, they a saw a massive piles of towering plates and bowls that looked as if they were about to collapse in any second. In the middle of these piles, there was a hunched over figure in a red vest, and wearing a old, worn-out straw-hat.

People were watching in shock, awe, and amazement, or a mixture of all three, as the young man downed food at an alarming rate, it was as if the food was disappearing the second it was put down. Everyone was standing against the walls while staring at the young man, except one person who was smiling widely at the young boy, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Oi Luffy!" The boy underneath the straw-hat looked up upon hearing someone call his name. His cheeks were bulging with a very large amount of food that would have been impossible to have in his mouth were his cheeks not made of rubber. Swallowing the large amount of food, somewhat difficulty, the boy spun around in his chair before spotting a bright orange hat out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the decorative hat, his smile grew insanely huge as he balanced his hands on the edge of his chair and leaned forward, "Ace! What are you doing here?"

"Not real sure myself," Ace replied scratching the back of his head, smile even wider than before, as he sat in the stool next to Luffy's.

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed his unique and contagious laughter causing Ace to smile widely and chuckle in return. The other occupants of the bar however, were far from laughing and were currently in immense shock upon hearing the boys' names, and than spotting their wanted posters on the notice board behind them. They were now crammed against the far edges of the walls, hoping the boys would leave soon and _not_ cause trouble.

"So this must be your famous, or maybe _in_famous, younger brother," Michelle spoke softly while the black cat on her shoulders meowed with a feeling of politeness in it's tone.

"Hm? Who are you?" Luffy asked finally taking notice of the young girl standing behind him. He had been too excited to see Ace to take much notice of anyone else.

"Ah, I'm Michelle, I'm a new member in Uncle Whitebeard's crew."

"Oh, so you're Ace's nakama."

"Hai." Upon hearing that the girl was one of his brother's nakama, Luffy seemed happy and smiled his infamous smile, before turning back to Ace as he started talking, "She's also the reason I'm here, after dragging me half way across the grand line," Ace said a annoying twitch starting to form above his right eye.

"Heh...gomen Ace-kun, but at least you got to see your little brother again," Michelle said while her cat gracefully leaped from her shoulders onto the top of Luffy's head before starting to sniff him curiously, "Ah, gomen Luffy-san. Kayla is very curious about new people."

"Shishishi, it's okay," Luffy laughed while Kayla meowed and looked down at Luffy while still balancing on his hat-covered head. Michelle smiled as she saw Ace sneak some food off Luffy's plate before the younger one noticed, after hurrying and stuffing it down, knowing his brother wouldn't let his food go without a fight, the two started talking once again.

The brothers' conversation was quickly interrupted however, when a loud crash of shattering wood showed a very large figure standing in the now huge hole in the side wall of the bar. The large figure walked forward slowly, stepping into the light, and as he got closer, the two D brothers had different emotions. Luffy was nervous and quite pale, and Ace seemed to be getting pale and angry at the same time, which was greatly confusing the young girl with them on who it could be.

"Well well, if it isn't my two crazy grandsons, looks like the tip from that weird little girl was right after all."

"Do _you_ really have the right to call anyone crazy, you crappy old man," Ace spat angrily while a large stitch began to form above his eye again. Luffy was trying his very best to hide stealthily behind his brother and not be spotted by the large, towering figure. However, as we all know by now, Luffy was far from stealthy.

"C-could you please not crash through the walls sir?" a pink-haired boy spoke as he climbed his way, slowly, through the large hole while followed by another boy with odd dark tinted glasses and long blond hair pulled into a sort of pony-tail, "Ah, hello Luffy-san."

"Ah, Coby!"

"And me!"

"Who are you?"

"It's okay Helmeppo-san..." Coby said, trying to comfort a dejected Helmeppo while Luffy looked on with a confused expression on his face. Michelle seemed to be shivering and was pale. She also seemed to have very large, panic-filled, eyes, "A-ace-kun...i-isn't that Vice-admiral 'Garp the Fist', hero of the marines and rival of the former Pirate King?"

"Aa. He's also our Jii-chan and a crazy old man who-" Ace got no further than that, for suddenly he and Luffy were on the floor and had large, red, smoking bumps on their heads with Garp, fists raised, towering above them.

"Itee!"

"Didn't I tell you to have more respect for you elders!" Garp yelled while Luffy was clutching his head in pain, a few unshed tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, "That huuuurt!" Ace stayed silent but had a look of pure hatred and annoyance directed at the old man.

"I-I thought Luffy-san was supposed to be made of rubber?" Michelle asked confused while Kayla was sitting on the floor next to Luffy, clutching his straw-hat in her mouth after gracefully avoiding Garp's punch, and, of course, grabbing Luffy's hat so it didn't get damaged by the enraged Vice-admiral.

"Nothing can stop a fist full of love," Garp said smiling his odd affectionate-like smile while the marines watching through the large hole in the wall, and Michelle, all sweat-dropped at the man's words.

"Your still sprouting that 'fist of love' crap old man." Ace spat while still glaring at Garp, "and I thought I told you to stop hitting Luffy!"

"Shut up runt!" Garp yelled giving Ace yet another large bump on the top of his head while Michelle looked on with confusion and panic increasing rapidly.

"Oi Garp, did you have to break the wall?" a voice asked, coming from the figure standing in the outline of the swinging doors, large smoke trails rising from two cigars he had in his mouth.

"But it's cooler to enter that way," Garp mumbled as everyone in the vicinity sweat-dropped at the man's strange way of thinking, well, he was a D.

"Well well, if it isn't my two favorite pirates, Portages D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy."

"Well hello there Smokey," Ace replied with a rather cocky grin as Commodore Smoker stepped under the weak lights of the bar. Michelle seemed to be close to hyperventilating and was sinking towards the floor slowly. She didn't know how much more surprises she could handle today. Kayla was pawing at Luffy's shirt causing him to look over, "Ah, arigato," he said as Kayla meowed through the straw-hat, which Luffy promptly put on his head proudly. Kayla meowed once again before padding over to sit by Michelle, who was trying her best to keep calm and not go insane at the scene before them. Could things get _any_ worse?

Outside the bar, a thick dense rain was beginning to fall over the town. Marines, and anyone else who was standing outside, were complaining and soon soaked to the bone in mere seconds. Dark, purplish clouds seemed to be forming overhead, while a eerie greenish wind was sweeping through the almost abandoned streets. The only thing that could be heard was a muffled running sound that sounded as if was heading towards Clover's Bar. The running seemed to be almost drowned out by the wind and rain, yet it seemed the like the loudest thing...until the thunder came, a large bang that sounded as if the sky itself was angry. It was immediately followed by a huge flash of lighting that resembled a long claw reaching down to touch the very earth. It left it's quickly fading imprint in the darkened sky, which was getting darker by the second.

Back inside the bar, a stare-off between some of the occupants seemed to be in progress. A disgruntled Ace was sending a glare full of loathing at a annoyed and angry Garp. Smoker, who was losing his patience at the idiots he was chasing, seemed to be glaring at Luffy, who had gone back to eating food at a alarming rate and ignoring all the marines in the place. Michelle on the other hand was still quite nervous and was shivering, wondering how they were gonna get out of this mess. Kayla was standing in front of her, hissing softly at anyone who even looked like they were about to approach them.

"Um...sumimasen, but who are you?" Coby asked starling not only Michelle, but interrupting all the staring contests too, "you don't look like one of Luffy-san's nakama."

"Aa," Michelle looked slightly surprised before shakily getting to her feet and folding her hands politely and bowing, "I'm Michelle, it's a pleasure to meet you." This act seemed to startle a few of the marines at her politeness.

"Hmm...you seem familiar..." Garp muttered as he trailed off and rubbed his chin in thought as Michelle straightened up, still shaky, before smiling lightly as Kayla climbed onto her shoulders and rubbed against her head, "Ah! I remember now! You're that notorious female pirate whose earned a bounty of over 260,000,000 beli!"

"The new Fourth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates- Black Static Michelle..." Smoker stated calmly while almost every person in hearing range gained large eyes and gaping mouths, except Luffy that is, who _never_ read the newspapers, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I came to this island in hopes to find information on some people I am currently trying to track down and interrogate so I can try to regain some of my missing or incomplete memories," Michelle replied automatically with a tone implying it was nothing but the honest truth. Innocent eyes also completed a pure image.

_'She answered so easily!' _seemed to be the swirling thoughts of most of the surrounding people in hearing distance. Ace was chuckling a laugh much like Luffy's and had on the famous D smirk to match. Garp was about to say something, but was interrupted from a timely appearance by-

"OI LUFFY!" Everyone looked towards the swinging double doors to see a dripping wet Zoro and Chopper. Zoro had his hands on his knees and was panting heavily, while Chopper had collapsed, transforming back into Brain Point, "Oi Luffy, Nami said a storm as big as Aqua Lagura was coming and we had to leave. Now!" Zoro finished finally looking up from his panting to see a the odd scene in front of him. A gathering of marines, Ace, and a strange girl with a cat on her shoulders...and Garp and Smoker! '_What was going on in here!'_

"Ah Zoro, why are you guys all wet?" Luffy questioned looking at his surprised first mate, whose shock was quickly turning into a wrath-like emotion.

**"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME! A HUGE STORM IS COMING AND WE GOTTA GO!"** Zoro yelled while grabbing Luffy's shirt and shaking him back and forth for added emphasis.

"Do you really think we'll let you pirates just leave?" Smoker asked while Chopper, who had just gotten up, and upon seeing the marines and Smoker, was now hiding, wrongly, behind the still floor-seated Ace. It was than that Zoro spotted someone he did **not** want to see-

"Roronora Zoro! I will defeat you and release that sword from your evil clutches!" Petty Officer Tashigi yelled while shifting into a sword stance, before tripping and falling on the floor next to Smoker, who simply sighed in annoyance.

_'Shimata, what's she doing here!' _Zoro panicked in his head while his face took on the expression of something similar to someone getting caught stealing money from Nami- a very _**very**_unpleasant one.

Another loud clap of thunder and accompanying steak of lighting reminded everyone of the approaching storm, which was growing worse every minute.

"Don't think I'll let you two idiots get away again!" Garp yelled before jumping forward at superhuman speeds similar to soru users, and punching a large hole in the floor right where Ace and Chopper had been sitting.

"As if you could even stop us, old man!" Ace shouted back after gently tossing a shocked and scared Chopper towards Michelle and Zoro. His hands were now glowing red hot with flames, and he was staring at the hole Garp had made earlier. Michelle, sensing his plan, picked up the unmoving Chopper off the floor and pushed Luffy and Zoro towards the huge hole to their sides. As soon as they were safely behind Ace, a huge firewall separated them from the marines and bar occupants.

"Gomen for pushing, but we have to go," Michelle said in a sympathetic voice while grabbing Zoro's wrist and jumping through the hole while still carrying the now even more shocked Chopper. Kayla was staying back to make sure everyone got through the hole. As soon as Ace had created a decent size firewall, he grabbed a startled Luffy's vest and jumped through the hole while Kayla quickly jumped on his shoulders.

"Get back here you brats!" Garp yelled loudly as a huge cannonball suddenly came flying towards them.

"Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!" Luffy yelled while sucking in a huge breath of air and expanding his body to a form resembling a balloon. The resounding snap as the cannonball hit deflected the cannonball back towards the pursing marines.

"Nice work Lu," Ace smirked while Luffy laughed and exhaled the air, body hanging in the hair for a few seconds before being grabbed by Ace again. The boy clutched his hat firmly to his head to stop the wind from whisking it off his head as Ace released his grip so Luffy could run on his own.

"I can walk on my own now," Chopper mumbled while tugging on Michelle's coat and trying to struggle out of the girl's arms.

"Ah, gomen," Michelle said while releasing Chopper, who jumped onto the ground before transforming into Walk Point and starting to run right behind Zoro, who Michelle had now released from her grip.

"Now what?" Zoro asked with a smirk and looking at his laughing Captain and a smirking Ace who was throwing a large fireball at an incoming cannonball.

"Now we get out of here before Jii-chan can catch us!" Luffy laughed while stating the obvious and causing Ace to grin another maniacal grin.

"Ne, Luffy-san...can we get a ride with you guys for a while...our boat sank this morning..." Michelle asked quietly while Chopper looked amazed.

"How do you sink a boat?"

"Michelle was practicing a new sword technique and she accidentally split the boat in half," Ace said laughing before using a fireball to shatter another cannonball, while Luffy deflected two with his Gomu Gomu no Fuusen.

"Sugoi! You must be really good at swords!" Chopper exclaimed with stars for eyes and sparkles floating around his head while looking at Michelle with amazement. Michelle blushed a light pink before looking towards the ground, bangs hiding her eyes.

"I just use two short swords, unlike your first mate Zoro-san, who I believe is a user of Santoryuu," Michelle replied while looking up at a slightly surprised Zoro for confirmation. Luffy meanwhile was deflecting another cannonball back at a enraged Garp who was yelling loudly.

"Aa."

"I tried to use Santoryuu, but I found it too difficult to master, plus the sword style didn't seem to fit my attacks. So I tried using two swords and found it worked much better, especially two short swords, it provides more movement, but not as much range as three swords do," Michelle continued to rattle as Ace created a giant fire-shield to block the next few cannonballs, but it's power was weakened due to the now heavily pouring rain and moaning wind.

"But it's probably more lethal when aimed for the vitals right?" Zoro asked now looking with interest at the young girl as the sound of another cannonball missing them and hitting the ground reached their ears. They quickly ran through the swirl of dust that had been lifted, Luffy being the only one to not think to cover his eyes and mouth.

"Hai, when aimed properly for the vital areas, it can be quite deadly. You have to be focused through, otherwise the more difficult moves could backfire and kill you. I find that aiming not just for vitals, but for pressure points, doesn't hurt the user at much on chance of failure, just leave very nasty scars," Michelle replied while shivering a little at the last part, Luffy's coughing behind them finally stopping. Zoro was about to ask another question with a large clap of thunder interrupted him. A quick flash of lightning showed the dock straight ahead of them and the others on the Sunny's deck waving and yelling for them to hurry up.

Behind them the marines were starting to catch up, Garp was ahead of them throwing cannonballs while Luffy and Ace were destroying them, or sending them back. Suddenly another steak of lightning appeared and a young girl with bright pink pigtails was standing between them and the Sunny. The others skidded to a sudden stop as Franky and Brooke came running up from the docks to help them. They stopped right behind the girl preparing for anything.

"I do believe it's about time for this game to start," the young girl said, her voice echoed clearly through the storm allowing everyone to here her. Michelle seemed to be the one in the most shock and was shivering.

"T-Tara-san?" Kayla jumped down from Ace's shoulders and started hissing at the young girl who giggled. "What are you doing here! U-unless..."

"That's right Michelle-nee-san. Another game is about to start. And this time, the players are you and your friends here."

"You can't do that! You know better than I do what happens in those challenges!" Michelle yelled loudly with tears gathering in her eyes, her behavior was causing the others to stare in confusion. Ace was most worried however.

"Who are you?" Franky yelled pulling off the skin-like glove on his right hand, he didn't know what was going on with the marines and kid, but he had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

"Me? I'm just a little girl looking to play a fun game with some new players."

"Liar," Michelle muttered bitterly as Tara looked slightly annoyed, "You're trying to doom more innocent people with these stupid tests of yours! Why can't you just leave everyone alone!"

"Well, it looks like it's about time, I hope you like being short and cute," Tara said smiling a smile similar to that of the devil's, ignoring Michelle's question and yells.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Zoro asked, his hand on his swords, as he shifted into a sword stance that would allow him to be ready for anything.

"This," Tara said as she gently blew onto her right palm. Small sparkling dust, flashing a million different colors, flew around and started surrounding all the pirates in the vicinity, including those who were on the Sunny and had heard the earlier conversation. Even Kayla was getting surrounded by the sparkling multi-colored dust. As the dust started swirling faster and faster around them, Michelle seemed to be trying to fight it the most.

"You can't do this Tara! You know the dangers that they are about to face, I won't let you all win this time! Never again!"

"See if you can beat us than Michelle-nee-san. Remember after the white piece moves, it's your turn..."

The dust suddenly started to glow a startling white, the marines who had finally caught up with them, started to watch in amazement at what happened. They became even more shocked at what they saw in front of them. There, standing where the pirates had been, where small children clutching at clothes that were way too big for them.

"It's time for a test..." Tara whispered before laughing and disappearing from sight.

The two who were on the docks still looked to be about teenagers, one had bright blue hair with a shocked expression, while the other looked to be a skeleton around similar height. The ones in front of the marines however, looked to be not much older than 8 or 9-year-olds. One had on a bright orange hat and a shocked expression with pants barely hanging around his waist. The child behind him had a straw-hat covering his eyes and clothes wrapped around him like bedsheets, one hand clutching the first child's pants.

Another one was struggling to get out of her large pile of clothes while a large blue hat covered most of her head and two short swords were laying on the ground beside her, the last one had bright green hair and was clutching three swords with a shocked expression and clothes hanging loosely off of him. The cat too looked to have been turned into a small kitten which was struggling to walk forward. Garp looked to be the most amazed at the kids, since he had recognized his grandsons instantly.

The Mugiwaras, plus Ace and Michelle, and even Kayla...had been turned into children...


	5. Quite the Conundrum

**Chapter 4 ~ Time to Go**

_**X**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

_The Mugiwaras, plus Ace and Michelle, and even Kayla...had been turned into children..._

_**x**_

"Nan da tou?" seemed to be the only question and answer everyone in the whole vicinity of the area was shouting. First, not only is the crew trying to escape from Garp, Smoker, and the marines, but than some weird girl with pink pigtails shows up and uses some weird and colorful dust to turn them all into kids, and now...now what?

"What happened!" Franky shouted as he ran over to the others who were currently encased inside their very baggy clothing. Brook was running up right behind Franky, but something was different about the two. Franky was no longer a cyborg! He looked to be around 16 or so, and Brook looked to be the same as usual...same bones and afro, yet, he was tripping over his clothes, and he looked to be about the same height as Franky.

"I'll tell you what happened, we just got turned into freaking kids!" Zoro shouted angrily while trying to stand up in his, now, over-sized clothing, his swords were clutched tightly in his arms while Chopper was panicking beside him.

"What are we gonna do!" Chopper shouted in panic, while his red hat slipped over his eyes. Yes, even his horns were now smaller, and he looked to be smaller than he normally was in Brain Point. Around the size of a toddler if they had to guess.

"I think we might have a bigger problem right now guys," Ace spoke up seriously.

"What could be bigger than this!" Franky and Zoro shouted simultaneously while turning to glare at Ace before the two paled.

"Them," Ace muttered while stepping between the chibi-Luffy and marines, glaring at them. The marines were quite, well, shocked and were currently trying to decide how to proceed with the current situation, hurting kids seemed kinda...cruel...

"Let's just blast them apart and run," Franky suggested while Zoro glared at him before managing to stand up and start to roll up his pants, setting his swords gently beside him.

"With what? You're a human again baka!"

"Huh! Whoa, I am! SUPA!" Franky shouted assuming his super pose, causing a few people close by to sweat-drop. Michelle was finally able to stand up after the large amounts of struggling she had gone through. She totted over to stand beside Ace and also stare at the marines, her two swords clutched in her arms tightly. Kayla was trotting right beside her with her black fur now a light, grayish color.

"Please go on ahead mina-san, I'll handle things here long enough for you guys to escape," Michelle spoke up while setting down one of her two short swords, and unsheathing the one with the purple sheath and holding it in her hand.

"And than how do you get away?" Zoro asked as he finished rolling up the excess cloth from his clothes, he looked to have the image of a nine-year-old, and his clothes were hanging loosely off his frame, rolled up just barely enough for them to not slip off or trip him up.

"Let's just kick their butts!" Luffy shouted while jumping up. He than immediately tripped over his clothing and fell, landing near Ace's feet with a look of annoyance in his eyes as Ace smiled.

"Nice try Lu, but I don't think you'd be able to take out all the marines here as you are right now," Ace said smirking while bending down to try and help Luffy up as he struggled to stand again.

"So what do we do, mina?" Brook asked standing beside the now tiny Chopper. He had his cane-sword over one arm and was holding his hat with the other. The winds around them were now racing at faster speeds than before, it looked to be an almost sickly, green color. The red clouds from before had merged with the gray clouds and formed a sinister black with a strange purple tint, all in all, this storm was getting worse by the second.

"I say we just run, and beat up any marines who try to follow us," Franky voiced while Zoro smirked.

"I like that plan, simple and easy to remember." (PotC reference)

"I like it too," Chopper squeaked jumping up and down and only barely reaching Zoro's chest. Ace smiled and looked at the marines, he had his brightly colored hat hanging around his neck, and looked to be around the age of a ten-year-old or so. He still had his childish freckles, but had a air of responsibility and seriousness around him, "I don't think they'll let us get away that easy."

Marines were now starting to surround the group in a half-circle with Garp at it's head. He seemed slightly shocked but than started smiling with his weird affectionate-like smile that scared none more so than the D brothers, they knew that smile, it meant pain and trouble to boot.

"Well, it just looks like my two grandsons got turned into children. I think you two will make excellent marines once I raise you up again right...which means even more marine training than before," as Garp spoke these words, both Luffy and Ace paled and looked like the devil himself was standing in front of the two. Suddenly Luffy, feeling quite brave for some reason, manged to get to his feet and stare his grandfather in the eyes.

"I told you Jii-chan, I'm not gonna be a marine," Luffy seemed to smile the infamous D smile as his straw-hat covered his eyes, he than continued in a voice that surprised everyone at it's tone of pure, absolute truth, "I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

Garp seemed surprised, than bowed his head causing his eyes to look darkened. The whole area seemed to be silent except for the raging storm all around them... Suddenly Garp looked up, and he looked extremely mad, "THAN I'LL JUST HAVE TO FORCE YOU TWO TO BECOME MARINES!"

"No way old man," Ace said stepping protectively in front of Luffy, "you're not laying one finger on Luffy!" Immediately everyone in the area, for some strange reason, had the words _brother complex, _flash through their thoughts.

"And you're gonna try and stop me ya little brat?" Garp asked while he picked up a cannonball from a cart behind him and started bouncing it up and down in his hand before catching it.

"You bet old man," Ace said with a crazy grin and look and in his eyes to match, Franky and Brook seemed to be sensing his plan and got ready to either fight or run. Suddenly Michelle surprised them all by walking forward and standing in front of the marines. Kayla was toddling right beside her. Black sparks seemed to be forming around her three-year-old figure and crawl along the ground, "Gomen, but you have to get past me first."

The others looked amazed at her boldness, none more so than Zoro or Ace. Michelle than turned around and looked at the others, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go, I'll hold them off than catch up."

"But-" Ace started to say something, but than stopped when he saw the determined glint in her eyes. He smirked before turning to the others, "Guess we got no choice, right Luff?" Luffy looked at Michelle with a blank stare before turning to the others and laughing, "Shishishi, right!"

Franky, having a vague idea on what was going on in the two's minds, suddenly picked up Zoro and his swords before speaking, "What are we waiting for than, let's go before the others get worried and try to come and help!" Franky started running towards the Sunny with Zoro squirming in his grip and arguing that he could walk on his own. Brook meanwhile, had picked up Chopper and was following Franky. Chopper was fine with being carried, since his vision was currently blocked due to his large, now over-sized, hat.

"Guess it's time to go," Ace muttered before tightening his belt so his pants didn't fall off, and so he didn't trip over them. That wouldn't look to cool in front of all the marines. He than grabbed Luffy, who couldn't move due to his large baggy clothing, adjusting the small boy so he didn't fall or feel uncomfortable Ace started running off after the others. Luffy, who would usually fight and complain about being carried, seemed rather content and docile in Ace's arms.

**x**

Meanwhile, behind the retreating boys, Michelle and Kayla were looking very similar to evil demonic, well, demons, this was scaring quite a few of the marines. Black steaks of static seemed to be pulsating in the ground, coming out in waves and currents from the young girl.

"Shall we create some chaos than, Kaylvanna?" Michelle asked as the kitten beside her suddenly started to grow in size. Soon, standing before the marines was a large, fully-grown, panther. The panther's fur was a dark black that was tinged with a silver like blue that seemed to shimmer, even in the darkened rain and heavy wind. Her paws were a pure silver, with a silver-tipped tail to match, eyes were a deep and clear amethyst, no iris' like in her other form and razor-sharp claws were tensed, ready for battle. Large, and pointy, fangs completed the look of the terrifying beast.

"Meet Kaylvanna, or Kayla as most people know her by. She's a black cat who ate the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Panther. She's quite the fierce fighter. As for me, well, why don't you try to guess the Devil's Fruit that I ate..." Michelle laughed, a complete opposite of her behavior from before as Kayla started running forward, causing some of the marines to fight back. Dodging fast attacks, and biting and scratching at the attackers in return, Kayla seemed to have been born and bred for battle, that is, until she was lifted into the air by a thick column of white smoke.

Michelle looked up and followed the trail to find, "Smoker-san. Do you have to be so mean, even to little kitties?" Smoker seemed to be irritated at Michelle's annoyed child-like voice as he held the panther in a cage-like prison. Michelle suddenly smirked as she raised her hand towards the marines, "Static Charge." The black static that had been gathering at her feet suddenly seemed to climb up her body and gather around her hand like quick-moving snakes. A pure beam of black static shot towards the marines, the ones who were even grazed were shocked by a high voltage amount of electricity that would cause a normal human's movements to be stopped. Of course not all of them were normal.

Garp for one seemed unaffected, Coby and Helmeppo however...well...they were laying on the ground behind Garp, a thick layer of ash was covering their twitching figures, a few of the other marines had similar conditions. Most of them however seemed to have dodged or been unaffected by the attack. Michelle smiled as marines started to charge towards her. She adjusted the grip on the sword in her hand before extending her arm straight out. Usually, her opponents would have been severely injured by now, but the body of a three-year-old was limiting her moves and power. Trying not to trip over her clothing, Michelle suddenly sent a pulse through the sword which caused it to crackle and glow with black static energy. She than took it with both hands and thrust it into the ground below her. "Static Wave!"

A pure, thick wave of black static electricity suddenly rushed out of the sword and traveled along the cobble-stoned street, the wave shocked all of the incoming marines causing them to fall to the ground twitching or jump back to avoid it. Meanwhile Kayla was struggling to get out of Smoker's grasp. Michelle looked over and than raised both arms towards Smoker's cage, "Static Law!" A 2-foot thick beam shot towards the cage, but instead of hitting it, the static broke off and formed tendrils before beginning to sink into the cage formed of smoke, static streaks roamed the cage's surface before slowly sinking in. A few seconds later, Smoker was grasping his hand in pain, releasing the cage, allowing Kayla to land safely on the ground.

"Matter can neither be created nor destroyed, that is the law of nature. My static doesn't destroy though, it sinks into your smoke on a sub-atomic level, and releases a charge that shocks the individual molecules and atoms, meaning even if you're a logia, I can still hurt you." Michelle was smirking as Kayla stood in front of the girl baring large 6-inch fangs. Needless to say, the marines were now completely terrified of the young demonic girl and her pet 'cat'.

"Let's just see if we can't hurt that static than," Garp said picking up another cannonball. Michelle smiled while Kayla let out a roar that sent shivers down every marines back.

"It's my pleasure to accept your challenge Vice-admiral Garp, hero of the marines," Michelle said politely while pulling her sword out of the ground, "Let's see who is more powerful, shall we?"

**X**

**O**

**X**

Meanwhile with the others, things were not going so well. Not only had marines appeared in front of them, they were now split off from each other. Brook was fighting some of the marines while Chopper hid behind him, wrongly of course. Franky had put down Zoro to fight some marines. He hadn't done much damage till he had stolen some of their guns after punching them out with his Franky Boxing, which was still quite strong. Zoro was even defeating marines with his current body of a nine-year-old.

A couple yards away, Ace and Luffy were surrounded by the larger group of marines, since they were the ones who were the most threat to the government. Ace was using his basic combat skills while combining them with his devil fruit's ability. Luffy, now much smaller, was still able to hit marines with a punch as strong as a pistol!

"Hiken!" Ace yelled while shooting a fist-shaped fireball at a couple of marines. More were running up and trying to cut Ace with their swords, but Ace skillfully jumped over one sword, and caught the other with his bare hand, smiling a smile that scared all the marines there.

"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Luffy yelled as he brought his flat palms forward to hit the marine who was still holding the sword Ace had caught, he was blasted back into about 8 or so more marines before they all ended up landing in the ocean, and were battling the, now huge, waves that were getting bigger and fiercer due to the storm.

"Nice shot Lu!" Ace said while dodging another sword and retaliating with a kick to the marine's stomach before sending him flying back even further with another Hiken. Luffy was smiling and laughing. He looked to be having the time of his life, except for the occasional tripping over his clothing.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy shouted while stretching his fist back before releasing it and hitting a marine square in the chest, sending him flying back. Looking up with his infamous smirk as his arm snapped back into place, Luffy hurried and glanced around at his nakama fighting the other marines.

**x**

Brook seemed to be doing quite well, he was dodging all the marines' punches, stabs, or thrusts, before parrying with his own array of skilled sword fighting. He was laughing his unique laugh quite loudly while Chopper was trying to fight too, since he wanted to live up to his amazing nakama. He was in Walk Point and was ramming into any marine who tried to get up after Brooke had slashed them with his sword. Although Chopper was only around Ace's height in Walk Point, maybe a little lower, his horns were still quite effective against enemies.

**x**

Luffy was brought back to his fight as another marine started rushing toward him with his sword drawn. Luffy tried to dodge, but his clothing and small body wouldn't let him. Luffy looked panicked for a split second, before the marine was suddenly on the ground in front of him, a thick layer of ash covering his body, he seemed to barely even have the energy to twitch. Standing in front of Luffy was Ace with his fist raised, flames surrounding it, and the expression of a demon on his face. It seemed to say '_Hurt my brother and I will personally kill you'_, of course Luffy wasn't able to see Ace's face from his position on the ground as he struggled to get up.

"Gomu Gomu no Muchi!" Luffy shouted as his leg stretched forward and slammed into the group of marines in front of them, pulling their legs out from under them and causing them to crash into the ground. Ace suddenly smirked and knelt down, placing his hands on the ground. "Heat Wave." As Ace's hands grew red hot, the ground begin to glow a dull red, and the marines Luffy had tripped, were suddenly jumping back and forth between their feet and trying not to touch the now smoking ground. Of course Ace soon had to stop since the dense rain was causing the ground to cool quickly, causing even more thick white smoke, which was the perfect cover for one person...

Luffy grinned hugely as he watched Ace use another Hiken to finish off the group of marines. Luffy took the chance to try and find the others through the thick rain and smoke. He suddenly spotted Franky firing at some marines using... something. It had looked as if Franky had used the marines relieved guns to form some kind of machine gun. Franky was grinning as it fired off causing many of the marines to back off and look angry. Zoro had seemed to be heading back towards Michelle and Garp, almost reaching them.

At first Luffy was confused at why he would do this, until he saw Michelle laying on the ground with Kayla, in kitten form, passed out beside her. Luffy was about to warn Ace and go help, but he than noticed that Zoro was about to help her anyways, deciding to leave things up to his first mate Luffy threw himself back into the fight, only to see that the thick white smoke was hiding all the marines and he couldn't see to hit them, strangely enough though, any of the marines who tried to sneak up on him, were suddenly charred and smoking when Luffy turned around to face them. It was quite puzzling...Especially when Luffy saw the smoke seemed to start coming towards him...

_**X**_

"Oni Giri!" Zoro cried using his three swords to slash through the path of marines. He was baffled, confused, perplexed, and most of all worried? He was worried because of the the first 3 things he was feeling. '_Why am I even doing this! She said she'd be fine, so why am I fighting through all these small-fry, trying to help her!' _Yes, Zoro, the infamous Pirate Hunter, and one of the supernovas, was baffled at why he was trying to help this girl he had just met, confused on why his body seemed to move of it's own accord and fight to get to her and most of all, perplexed on why his heart was beating so fast and his blood racing as he saw the girl standing in front of a angry Garp.

"Tora Gari!" Zoro yelled as he moved his hands into a position where both swords were held behind the sword he currently held in his mouth, tips facing down. He than swung forward with all three swords, knocking about half of the marines in his way back. He than ran forward trying to get to Michelle, who was barely standing, why was he even doing this, he had no idea...

_**X**_

Meanwhile, we go back to our fight between Michelle and Garp. Michelle is facing Garp and is grinning along with Kayla, the grin only widens as Garp picks up a large cannonball and smiles maniacally before throwing it towards her. Michelle quickly pulls her sword out of the ground, and sends a electric current thought the sword, she than slashed the air in front of her to create a slash-shaped shield that reflected the cannonball back at Coby and Helmeppo.

"Gomen-nasai," Michelle yelled while bowing towards a singed Coby and Helmeppo. To everyone there, she looked cuter than any three-year-old they had ever seen. That is until she bent down and placed her hands on the ground and started laughing, "Static Charge!"

Small streaks of black static raced across the cobble-stoned streets before climbing up onto the marines legs, sending high voltage shocks straight into their bodies and through their hearts. Michelle stood up, still giggling, while Kayla charged forward to finish off the barely standing marines, that is until...

"Meteor!" Garp yelled throwing a cannonball that was heading straight towards a surprised Kayla, Michelle looked up quickly, expression serious, before raising her arms in front of her, with black streaks intertwining around her fingers. She looked to be concentrating very hard, "Static Shield!" Black static raced forward and formed a circle around Michelle and Kayla, the static began to quickly rise and form to become a dome. Michelle dropped to the ground panting as the dome became see-through, but was still crackling with electricity with the occasional streak of static running across the front. The cannonball that had been about to hit Kayla, was now nothing but small particles of dust.

"Are you alright, Kaylvanna?" Michelle asked weakly as she hugged the panther's neck, who was purring in a deep resonating tone. Michelle smiled as she shakily stood up and smirked, "Try and get through that Gramps!" Michelle's eyes than widened as she saw Garp was approaching her, only he was using superhuman speeds unique to soru users. In a split second, Garp seemed to be standing right in front of Michelle, having passed the dome with ease, with his fist raised and aimed straight for Michelle, and it was coming down fast...

_**X**_

"Oni Giri!" Zoro shouted as his crossed-arms moved faster than the eye could blink to create a x-shaped cross that knocked out the marines in front of him. He was now able to see Michelle and the marines up ahead, he could also see all the others fights, including Nami on the boat yelling something, he didn't really care nor listen. Zoro quickly turned his head to see two marines running at him with swords raised, he sighed, at this rate he would never get to Michelle "Tou Rou Nagashi!" Although he didn't really know why he even cared. He glanced over to see Franky and Brook almost done clearing a path to the Sunny, he also saw how Ace was protecting Luffy every-time someone tried to attack from behind.

Zoro smirked as he saw Smoker hiding in all the smoke and rain, quickly making his way towards his captain, he wasn't too worried, after all, Luffy was pretty strong, and Ace was there with him, so he wouldn't get hurt, '_Ace seems to have a brother complex anyways, so I doubt Luffy will be in too much trouble...although...' _Zoro shook his head to get rid of that trail of thinking, his captain would be fine, Michelle on the other hand, she had looked pretty tired after erecting that static dome thing.

Zoro rushed forward before slashing at two more marines and dodging a marine's sword and countering with an upper slash. He looked over to see Garp was gone from where he was standing a second ago. Zoro somehow started panicking, and he wasn't too sure why? He scanned the area and spotted something moving near the static dome, no, near where the static dome _had _been. It was now gone, with that giant panther gone, and that kitten she had was on the ground barely moving, Michelle herself seemed to barely be able to balance on her hands and knees. Zoro was mad, Garp was standing over her, preparing for another hit, even though she was only 3!

Zoro started rushing forward faster than before, his path was now clear since he had defeated the last marine, he ran as fast as he could as he saw Garp raise his fist again, it looked like the first time that panther had blocked the attack, but now that panther was a cat again and was passed out. Zoro was running as fast as he could run, one slip and he would be in big trouble at the speed he was running. He saw Garp's fist pull back, ready to hit the girl, who was yelling something that shocked even him.

_**X**_

Michelle was crying, but her tears were unnoticed due to the dense rain from the storm streaming down her face. Not only had Kayla took the blow for her, but she was heavily hurt, Michelle felt like she couldn't move. Normally her hat would have hidden her grief-filled eyes , but it had been blown away at the start of the fight. She couldn't even look up at Garp, that's why she didn't notice his fist coming down, not till a second before it was about to connect.

Her eyes didn't even have enough time to widen as the fist came down and crashed onto her head. If she thought Luffy and Ace's hits were painful, that was like a pinch compared to the pain she was feeling now as she layed collapsed on the ground. She barely seemed to be able to breathe let alone continue fighting.

"Not now..." Michelle muttered as she stared at her static dome quickly disappearing, "Not after all this..." a few drops of blood ran down her temple as she manged to get on her hands and knees before coughing up a little blood, "I can't...not here..." Her head felt like it was on fire and was being squeezed at the same time. Slowly standing up, almost falling back down, Michelle glanced at Kayla, than looked up at Garp, all energy in her was gone, and she was so close to just fading into the darkness that crept at the edges of her dull lifeless eyes.

"Got anything to say runt," Garp said looking down at the young girl. Admittedly he did have a pained look in his eyes, he really didn't want to have to beat up this girl, even if she wasn't really 3, it still felt bad, but that's what marines did. They stopped all pirates, and he was a Vice-Admiral, he couldn't stop now.

"I can't fail now, I can't fail here...not until I destroy these stupid tests, NOT UNTIL I SET FREE ALL THE SOULS I CONDEMNED!" Michelle screamed while everyone in the area looked shocked, what was this girl talking about, surely not even she was that bad...

"I guess you won't succeed than," Garp said grimly as he raised his fist for another blow. He brought his fist down, Michelle didn't even flinch, she just stared straight ahead with a defeated look on her face, one more punch and she would be finished, she knew it. But than...something incredible happened, something she didn't think would ever happen. There, standing in front of Michelle, and blocking Garp's fist with swords, was none other than Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro.

"Z-Zoro-san?" Michelle stuttered in amazement as she saw the look of pure hatred in his eyes directed at Garp, it was quite frightening. Michelle seemed to be barely hanging on to conciseness as Garp raised his fist from the steel and took a step back.

"Oh, another child has arrived," Garp said in a mocking tone, while on the inside he was a little relieved. Zoro stared at him, saying nothing while Michelle was shaking behind him, both from her wounds, and from the killer aura coming from Zoro. Michelle looked down though as she saw Kayla slowly limping towards here. Kayla's small meow filled with reassurance seemed to be like a parent calming their child to the young girl. She slowly walked forward a tad to pick up the now small kitten.

"Oi..." Michelle looked up surprised. Zoro was still staring at Garp, but his head was tilted towards her so she could hear what he had to say, "If you really have a goal...than you need to wipe that defeated look off your face, right?"

"Z-Zoro-san..." Michelle looked at Zoro who had a small smirk on his features. A dull blush formed on her cheeks, but went unnoticed due to the storm around them. More tears started gathering in Michelle's eyes as she looked at the boy in front of her...why did he go to such lengths to help her?

As their clothes draped around them, the two children were in no condition to face Garp, and both knew that. Suddenly the most unexpected thing to ever happen to them, well, happened. Garp had a narcoleptic fit and was now snoring with his head tilted to the side. Coby and Helmeppo jumped forward to try and wake him up, while Zoro, wasting no time at the lucky moment, sheathed his swords, grabbed Michelle's odd short swords, and the girl herself, he ran towards the docks blushing a dark red and wondering why he was even helping this girl.

**x**

"Yohohoho, excellent work Chopper-san!"

"Hai!"

Brook and Chopper had just finished fighting off their group of marines, who were groaning after being headbutted from Chopper. They were soon joined by Franky, "You guys alright?"

"Hai!" both responded smiling.

"SUPA!" Franky said taking his favorite pose, "Hmm where's Mugiwara and Zoro?"

"Ah, there's Zoro-san," Brook said as they spotted Zoro running up carrying Michelle and her swords, Michelle was clutching Kayla tightly against her chest and had her eyes closed, she seemed to be breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Chopper asked as he became the doctor he was.

"She got hit by Garp," Zoro said as all three looked shocked. Michelle seemed to move a tiny bit before clutching Zoro's shirt with her hand and taking deep shaky breaths.

"It hurts...it hurts and it's all my fault...everything was my fault..." Michelle whispered in a horse, almost non-existent voice as tears gathered at the corner of her eyes before quickly being washed away by the downpour around them. Everyone seemed to be depressed at seeing the girl in pain, none more so than Zoro.

"This is bad, we gotta get her on Sunny, and soon," Zoro urged, surprising the others yet again. Chopper looked shocked at Zoro's un-concealed concern for the girl, but quickly snapped out of it as he started to smell the girl's blood.

"Aa, we need to stop her bleeding quickly, and make sure no bones are broken, I also wanna check for any internal damage. Plus we gotta get out of this storm, where's Luffy and Ace?" Chopper asked looking around for the D brothers, Franky pointed towards where the two were fighting in the now quickly clearing smokey battlefield, "I think that's them over there. Don't worry though, before we got separated, Flame-boy there told me for us to go ahead, and he and Luffy would catch up on the striker."

* * *

"_Oi, Franky," Ace said as the others started splitting off as the marines arrived and began attacking everyone, "you and the others go ahead, me and Luffy with take the striker and catch up to you guys!" Franky looked a little shocked at the statement, but seemed to smirk as he saw the flame-users infamous smirk that only the D's seem to have._

"_Fine but if you don't catch up, Nami-nee-san is gonna be supa mad," Franky said as Ace hurled another fireball at a incoming marine while still balancing Luffy in his other arm._

"_Don't worry, we'll be fine," Ace said smiling as Luffy finally had wriggled out of Ace's grip and blasted a marine into five more. Franky just smiled and ran off after Zoro, he was sure the brothers would be fine as long as they were together, they proved to the whole world at Marine-Ford they were an unstoppable team._

* * *

"Yeah, but will they be okay with Smoker fighting them?" Zoro asked as the others looked over at Zoro confused, "I saw him heading towards Luffy and Ace earlier."

"EH!" Everyone yelled as they quickly looked towards where the two brothers were fighting...it was easy to spot them after they heard Ace's worried cry.

**"LUFFY!"**


	6. Sunny's Silent Roar

**Chapter 5 ~ Sunny's Silent Roar**

**x**

**o**

**x**

"_Yeah, but will they be okay with Smoker fighting them?" Zoro asked as the others looked over at Zoro confused, "I saw him heading towards Luffy and Ace earlier."_

_"EH!" Everyone yelled as they quickly looked towards where the two brothers were fighting...it was easy to spot them after they heard Ace's cry._

**"_LUFFY!"_**

_**x**_

"_Matakun. A hurricane on par with Aqua Lagura is coming!" she practically yelled before the wind grabbed her words and whisked them away. _

"_**NANI!**__" all 4 men exclaimed. _

"_Listen, we don't have much time!" Nami yelled "We have to split up and warn the others now, otherwise we're stuck here! Usopp, you go and get Franky and Brook, warn them and bring them back to the ship, Zoro...Chopper!"_

"_Oi!"_

"_GO and get Luffy and drag him back too, Zoro you go with him, and don't get lost."_

"_Ryokai." _

"_And me Nami-san?" _

"_You're gonna carry all the bags and help me warn Robin, and get the ship ready to leave." Nami said while grinning and running towards the harbor as Sanji became waited down by heavy bags._

"_Hai Nami-swaan!" _

_**x**_

_'How could things get any worse!' _Nami screamed in her head as she deflected another marines attack, first the storm, the marines, than all of them being turned into children, what was going on? To think this all started with her sensing that huge storm...

**X**

"Robin!" Nami yelled as she climbed up Sunny's ladder, "We have a problem!"

"Hai, indeed we do Nami-chan," Robin said turning around to smile at Nami. She was standing over the railing looking at the fast approaching thunderstorm. "It looks like a storm's approaching."

"And it's a powerful one," Nami muttered to herself while quickly running towards Sunny's wheel. She gently held the tip of it, staring off into distance, watching the clouds, she had a far-away, glazed look in her eyes, anyone who knew her, knew she was carefully assessing their situation and was trying to figure out the best way to proceed.

"Sanji-kun!"

"Hai, Nami-swan?" Sanji asked looking at his navigator, he knew that tone well, her _no-fooling-around-this-storm-won't-be-pleasant _tone.

"Bolt down anything that moves, we're gonna be leaving this island earlier than planned."

"Ryokai," Sanji said as he started off towards the kitchen, lighting another cigarette, intending to follow Nami's orders quickly and precisely.

"Robin, watch to see if the boys are coming back yet."

"Hai Nami-san," Robin complied as she walked towards the railing once again and looked towards the docks, she saw about 3 people running back towards the Sunny, "I think a few of them are coming back right now."

"Good. Let's hope the others follow soon," Nami muttered grimly before running over to stand beside Robin, who was leaning against the railing and gently leaning her head on her right hand at a slightly tilted angle. Nami had both her feet spaced apart, and was leaning her upper body on her hands, which were tightly clutching the railing.

_**X**_

In the distance, Usopp was frantic. If he didn't hurry and find the others, Nami would kill him, and that wasn't a pleasant thought. Shuddering Usopp slowed down and rested against a nearby wall while panting. How hard could it be to find a perverted cyborg and a walking skeleton with a afro? Usopp was about to give up and face the evil witch that was their navigator until he heard something that made him sigh in relief.

"Did you hear about those pirates walking around a few streets from here?" a nearby shopper asked, her arms full of bags and a look of slight shock and uneasiness on her face.

"You mean the ones who are rumored to be part of the Mugiwara crew? Yes, they were quite the odd ones weren't they?" a shopkeeper responded while placing his hands on his hips and staring in the distance, "Let's hope the marines catch them before they do any damage."

"Hai, it would be terrible if any of the children got hurt because of these pirates. This day and time it's impossible to tell where danger can come from," the lady responded shaking her head and sighing deeply before resting her cheek in her right hand.

"Sumimasen, do you know where those two pirates are exactly?" Usopp asked interrupting the two's conversation.

"Aa, they're a couple streets over from here on Mulberry Lane," the old shopkeeper replied while looking slightly confused.

"Just follow this road, than turn right and keep following it until you see the old bookstore," the lady finished smiling kindly.

"Ah, arigato," Usopp said, bowing in thanks before running off to follow the two's directions.

"Now I wonder why he would want to see those pirates?" the lady wondered to herself as she paid the shopkeeper for some apples.

"Who knows, kids these days are always doing crazy things," he responded handing the women her change before the two started talking about the other pirates they heard were on the island also.

A little ways away, Usopp was once again running down the street, although this time he had an idea of where to go. He ran down the street, looking at the dark clouds above which only further fueled the evidence that a storm was coming. Usopp ran even faster before he spotted a sign out of the corner of his eyes that read _Abigail's Bookstore. _He turned down the old cobble-stoned road and followed it until he started to hear murmurs and the word hentai. He figured he had now found the guys. And straight up ahead, who should it be but-

"Oi, Franky! Brook!"

"Ah, Usopp-san, what's wrong?" Brook asked as he watched Usopp skid to a sudden stop in front of them, and bend over while panting heavily. Franky lifted up his sunglasses while staring at the out-of-breath sniper. He was holding a large pile of class A wood, that was only a couple grades lower than Adam's wood, and some scrap metal he had picked up at one of the stores. It was tough work being a shipwright when you had Luffy as a captain, not to mention the daily fights between Sanji and Zoro. Brook meanwhile was carrying his violin case, which held his now fixed and perfectly tuned violin after Luffy had wanted to learn how to play it, let's just say it didn't end well for either...

"I-it's a-awful," Usopp managed to pant out in gasps as he tried to reclaim his breath, "N-Nami says a storm-pant-as strong as Aqua-pant-Aqua Lagura is coming!" Usopp finally finished, still panting while managing to stand upright and not collapse due to not enough oxygen getting to his head. Looking up slightly he watched the two's reactions. Yep, they were about the same as theirs was. Franky was in a form of shock, with his jaw hanging loosely and his sun-glasses falling off to revel his widened and shocked eyes. He grew up in Water 7 and knew just how bad Aqua Lagura was, and if a storm like that was coming, than they were in trouble. Brook on the other-hand was taking it slightly better, his jaw was only slightly slackened, and he was still holding his violin...until...

**"N-N-NANI!" **both asked, quite loudly, startling all of the nearby shoppers. Brook now had his hands clasped to his face and his jaw was now completely unhinged. He looked like he had just found out he was dead...oh wait...he already is dead, _Skull Jo~ke! _Gomen... Usopp was finally able to control his breathing enough to repeat Nami's instructions.

"S-she said that she wants everyone back on the ship pronto, and we have to leave now! Otherwise she said she'd leave us behind..." Usopp finished before slowly sinking to the ground in exhaustion, he could now die in peace, his mission was done. '_The fearless Captain Usopp, prevails once more!' _Usopp shouted in his head, before delirium took over and he began singing Sogeking's theme-song...Poor Usopp...

"Than what are we still waiting here for!" Franky yelled starting to panic. He knew that Nami really would leave them behind, she was cruel like that...and Franky still owed her money so she wasn't gonna let him die now. Shuddering at the thought Franky quickly grabbed Usopp's wrist and began running towards the docks, his pile of supplies for Sunny were safely tucked under one arm, while Usopp trailed behind the other, much like a flag or piece of clothing I must say.

"Sogeking Sogeking, king of the snipers~"

Brook was jogging right behind them, "Yohohoho, this is quite troublesome, let's hope the storm won't wipe all of us out!"

"Oi!" both shouted back at the fun-loving, and somewhat macabre skeleton who was clutching his hat tightly as the wind, that had been a warm, almost non-existent breeze when they got there, was now a fierce wind that was quickly turning into something similar to that of a hurricane, and if what Nami said was true, that was just the beginning...

**X**

"Where the heck were you guys!" Nami yelled at the three collapsed figures on the deck, who were so depleted of oxygen, they didn't even try to fight against the navigator's rage.

"Yoho-pant-ho, I feel as if my lungs are on fire. Ah! Although I don't have lungs, Yohoho, Skull Joke!"

"Urusai!"

"Where are the other little bros?" Franky asked as he looked around the ship, while Brook was slumped over with various bumps on his head.

"Yeah, shouldn't they be back by now?" Usopp asked, finally regaining his breath and sitting up to notice that Zoro, Chopper and Luffy weren't back yet.

"Zoro and Chopper went to find Luffy," Nami said while resting her forehead on her hand and letting out a deep sigh, "Matakun, if they don't hurry we'll just leave without them."

"Oi, isn't Luffy Captain, and besides, he and Zoro are the strongest on the ship!" Usopp said while trying to reason with Nami's impatient logic.

"What was that?" Sanji and Franky asked, bangs causing their eyes to be covered in darkness, their auras themselves seemed to be quite frightening.

"I-I-I meant t-that um..that t-they were...heh.." Usopp stuttered, lamely trying to come up with an excuse for the overly competitive boys as Franky and Sanji crept ever closer, a conflict would have been evident, had not Franky and Sanji suddenly crash into the deck with large red bumps decorating the tops of their heads, an evil Nami was standing over them with arms crossed after hitting them, a quickly impatient aura starting to form around her.

"We don't have time for you're stupid fights right now," Nami began quietly before speaking loudly to the two terrified boys,"Now, Franky start unfolding the sails! Usopp, Sanji, go bolt down anything that you haven't already, Robin help Franky. Brook, go keep lookout for marines and the other idiots. Now!" everyone was off as soon as Nami had started speaking, they knew not to mess with her when she was like this.

While Nami was still yelling directions the others jumped off to take care of their tasks. Brook was laughing loudly while Robin had a gentle, amused smile on her face while she watched her unique and crazy nakama, Franky was grumbling about being supa strong, and Sanji was pouting since Nami had hit him, he felt like he had been betrayed by his orange-haired goddess, and Usopp was quite relieved to escape the two's wrath. Nami-

"Why are you still siting there, get moving Sanji!"

"Hai Nami-swan!"...was Nami.

Meanwhile, threatening black clouds were hovering over the small island, rain and thunder waiting to attack the town. The wind was starting to turn a sickly green color, which was quite eerie...the tune was even scarier as the wind blew through the now abandoned streets. A slow and silent voice could be heard singing along with the eerie humming. It was quite spooky, and almost every living thing had long abandoned the streets.

Back on the Sunny, the sails were quickly being released while everything that was able to move was quickly bolted down under Nami's instructions. In the crow's nest, Brook was keeping lookout for anyone to approach them...ah...although he has no eyes...Sku~ll Jo~ke! ... Gomen-nasai...

Just as Franky and Robin had finished unfurling the sails...the storm broke...a huge thundering clap of sound bombarded their ears leaving them ringing with noise. A bright flash of light soon followed and left the others seeing quite a few spots, the trailing streak was still boldly imprinted against the sky, where a raging downpour suddenly broke out that was kept well alive by the bellowing winds and roaring tides. Nami was screaming instructions even louder while the crew did their best to keep their balance on the choppy ocean beneath them, they were now starting to worry about Luffy and the others...

"Ah, Nami-san, I believe I see the others...but it seems there is a lot of people following them..." Brook announced over the speakers after spotting small figures in the distance that were heading towards the Sunny. Nami ran towards the rail before viewing the scene approaching her, she than collapsed on the deck, a aura of resignation and despair surrounding her.

"What have those idiots been doing..." Nami muttered to herself while Sanji was yelling beside her asking what was wrong. Usopp went to the rail to see what had caused Nami to act this way, only to see the scene before him to be quite shocking

"Bakeros! Why are a bunch of marines following you!" Usopp yelled at the approaching crew-members, although his complaints couldn't reach their ears through the storm.

"Let's hope they don't get captured and tortured."

"Oi," as the crew exchanged their usual remarks, Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Ace, and Michelle were running towards the Sunny with a large force of marines following them. Nami slowly stood up, her aura quickly changing into one of anger...with huge flames surrounding her I might add...

"I'm going to kill those-"

"Oi, shouldn't we go help them?" Usopp asked interrupting Nami's threats and name-calling.

"Yohoho, Usopp-san is right, the faster they get on the ship, the sooner we can leave right?" Brook agreed while trying to calm the angry Nami, it seemed to work as the fire slowly faded around her, she finally sighed in compliance.

"Fine...Franky, Brook, go help those idiots and make sure to hurry or we'll leave you behind, got it?

"Hai!" both men responded before jumping off the side of the ship and running down the docks to the others. Robin was about to finish unfurling the sails with Sanji's help when...

_'Do you want to be a child?'_

"D-D-Did you hear t-that?" Usopp stuttered while clutching Kabuto tightly against his chest and slowly inching his way behind Nami.

"Y-you mean the spooky voice that sounded similar to a ghost?" Nami asked shivering as much as Usopp and trying to get behind him at the same time, "Nope."

_'Do you want to change your past?'_

"Yare yare, looks like someone is here with us," Robin said while crossing her arms in her usual battle pose, ready for anything.

"Yeah...but it sounds like a kid's voice..." Sanji muttered while slowly taking a drag of his cigarette before exhaling the smoke.

_'Do you want to change your life?'_

"T-There it is a-again..." Usopp stuttered shivering greatly now, Nami was also shivering and was clutching Usopp's arm.

"W-what is it?"

"Maybe it's an evil spirit come to haunt us and than kill us," Robin suggested smiling softly while scaring the two even more.

"Don't say it!" the two shouted back while a eerie laughter started up around the four. It seemed taunting, yet...happy?

_'Shall we have some fun, ne?'_

"We hear nothing, we hear nothing," Usopp and Nami chanted to themselves while squeezing their eyes shut tight and hugging each other.

"Mina, I think the others are in some trouble," Robin said while looking towards the other five on the dock. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji ran over to the rail to look, only to see a rather odd scene in front of them.

"Oi, isn't that Ace?" Usopp asked pointing at said Ace who was dragging Luffy behind him.

"And another cutie!" Sanji spoke up while twirling around, he was in mellorine mode and was by now far lost to the others.

"Oh, your right, I wonder who that is," Nami wondered while she glanced at the girl in the middle of the running group, her hat was suddenly blown off to reveal long thick brown hair before the girl caught it and placed it back on her head, "She looks familiar..." before Nami could finish her sentence however, a odd girl suddenly appeared in front of the marine-pursued group, blocking them off from Franky and Brook arriving to help, "Eh? Who's that?"

"A child?" Robin asked looking at the young girl who had long pink pigtails and was standing in front of the five running pirates. And what looked to be a cat?

"I do believe it's about time for this game to start," the young girl said, in a voice that was clearly heard over the raging thunderstorm around them.

"Game?" Usopp and Nami both asked confused. They squinted their eyes and saw the young girl with brown hair that was with the boys was saying something...it was hard to tell though.

"That's right Michelle-nee-san," the girl spoke again, answering a unheard question from who they assumed to be Michelle, "Another game is about to start. And this time, the players are you and your friends here."

"You can't do that! You know better than I do what happens in that challenge," Michelle yelled loudly, although it sounded soft to everyone on the ship due to the raging wind around them.

"Eh? Challenge? What's going on?" Nami asked in confusion while trying to figure out what was happening. Sanji and Robin looked a little grimmer than the others who were confused.

"Looks like we are about to play a game," Robin said, a small smile tugging at her lips, while her eyes remained ice cold.

"Oh? Wonder what kind of game," Sanji muttered lighting another cigarette since the storm had blown out his last one, he was starting to get annoyed.

"Ah look, Franky's starting to get mad..." Usopp laughed while watching Franky remove his skin-like glove and starting to walk forward while yelling something.

"Impatient baka," Nami muttered folding her arms over her chest.

"Me?" the pink-haired girl spoke up, looking at Franky, "I'm just a little girl looking to play a fun game with some new players." She than glanced back at Michelle looking annoyed, she must have said something, "-doom innocent people with these stupid test of yours! Why can't you just leave everyone alone!"

"Eh? Dooming innocent people...that doesn't sound too good," Usopp said while starting to shiver.

"And what was your first clue?" Nami asked sarcastically while staring at the girl, what was going on?

"Well, it looks like it's about time, I hope you like being short and cute," the pink-haired girl said. The crew could even see her sinister smile from there. They heard Zoro shout something while preparing to draw his sword.

"What's that marimo shouting about," Sanji muttered looking at Zoro before glancing back at the girl when she answered whatever Zoro had asked.

"This," she said as the crew watched her gently blow onto her right palm. Small sparkling dust, flashing a million different colors, flew out of her hand and started surrounding everyone.

"Eh, what's going on!" Usopp yelled as the dust flew towards them and began encircling them.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Nami muttered trying to brush the dust off to no avail. As the dust started to swirl faster and faster around them they saw the young girl who had the brown hair shout something to the girl, "You can't do this Tara! You know the dangers that they are about to face, I won't let you all win this time! Never again!"

"See if you can beat us than Michelle-nee-san. Remember, in chess, after white moves, it's your turn..." as soon as Tara spoke these words, the multicolored dust became a pure white, blinding everyone who looked at it. As soon as the crew opened their eyes...they seemed to be looking down lower than what they had...

_**x**_

"N-NANI!" Usopp, Nami, and Sanji shouted. Sanji seemed to twitch as he heard his now high-pitched voice, Usopp was panicking at the situation and tried to run forward, only to trip on his now over-sized clothing, which caused his blue-tinted goggles to fall off his head and land by Robin's feet, who had a look of shock on her face at seeing the others and herself.

"Yare yare, this is quite the predicament," Robin muttered while she watched Nami let out a somewhat high-pitched squeak before running, well, tripping and hiding behind Robin, Nami had worn quite a short outfit that day, and she really didn't want to be seen by the boys since it was almost falling off of her now very small frame.

"N-N-Nan da.." Nami muttered while peeking out from behind Robin's, now very baggy, pants. She looked at herself first, her hair seemed to be a bit longer, and she seemed to be seeing the ground much lower...She glanced over at her arm with the tattoo, the one where Arlong's mark had haunted her, no, she didn't want to see...She would look later she decided, she looked at the others.

Sanji looked to be slightly pale and was also very cute- '_Whoa, hold on a sec, since when did I think he was cute!' _Nami yelled in her head before shaking it, she saw Sanji pick up another cigarette and try to light it..before...

"Hey!" Sanji yelped as a hand grabbed the pack of cigarettes and lighter before throwing them to Robin's outstretched hands.

"Gomen Sanji-kun, but since you **are **a child right now, I believe you shouldn't smoke for now," Robin said with a smile as she watched Sanji unmistakeably pout.

"That's cruel Robin-chwan," Sanji muttered while pouting and having an argument in his head at the same time...'_What the heck am I doing! Am I pouting! No no no...Nami-san and Robin-chan must have lost all respect for me now...'_

"Oi Sanji, are you okay?" Usopp asked crawling towards Sanji so he wouldn't trip again, "S-Sanji?" he asked the unmoving pile of dejection. Nervous, Usopp decided to look to Robin, who seemed to be the oldest among them.

"What do you think happened to the others?" Usopp gulped as he tried to get up and glance over the side of the rail. It was not going well. For one, he kept tripping, and another, he also realized his goggles were missing.

"Here Usopp-san," Robin said reaching the sniper his goggles before helping him stand.

"Ah, arigato Robin!" Usopp smiled while adjusting his goggles before slowly inching his way towards the railing, "Ah! I see the others!"

"Where?" Nami asked trying to run to the railing, only to fall face forward. She crawled onto her knees before realizing something that startled her greatly. '_Are those tears in my eyes? W-Why am I crying, all I did was trip? Did our behavior change just like our appearances did?' _Nami would have continued debating over everything in her head had not two hands gently picked her up before setting her on her feet.

Looking up Nami spotted a gently smiling Robin, "Arigato," Nami said smiling before, doing the same as Usopp, slowly inching her way towards the railing, "Ah! You're right! Let's see, I can see Luffy and Ace fighting a group of marines, I see Brook and Chopper, and Franky and Zoro...Looks like everyone else changed too."

"Hai. It looks as if everyone has been turned into children, including ourselves," Robin said while walking forward. She was around the chest height of Usopp's normal size. Her hair was quite long, reaching down past her shoulders, her clothes were bunching up around her, but she was still able to move without tripping like the others. She looked to be quite young, no older than that of a 14-year-old.

Usopp and Nami were both clutching the railing tightly and peering through the bars since they couldn't see over the top. Both were barely higher than Chopper's normal size in Brain Point. Nami's hair was a tad longer, and her shirt was barely hanging off her small frame, she had one hand clutching her slipping shorts, while her shoes lay abandoned on the deck behind her, she looked to be around the age of an eight or seven-year-old.

Usopp was also clutching the railing while his overalls were bunched around him like a large blanket. His bandanna was falling over his eyes while his goggles seemed to be the only thing holding the bandanna itself in place. He was still wearing his boots, which may have been why he was tripping so much, and his hair was still quite poofy...had the rain not flattened it. He was staring at the others and trying to figure out what exactly had happened to them.

"Oi, what's that marimo doing?" Sanji asked, who was now standing next to Usopp and Nami after having crawled over. The three followed his pointing finger to see Zoro had escaped from the distracted Franky and was currently making his way back through the marines. He looked to be heading towards-

"Oi, isn't that the girl..umm...Michelle, fighting Garp!" Usopp practically yelled while frantically pointing towards the now young child and the huge panther beside her.

"Oh, it looks like it," Robin said.

"She looked familiar, but I couldn't get a good enough look through the rain," Nami said trying to jump up to see over the rail to no avail. Hah, rail avail...get it? No? Okay...

"I think we have trouble," Sanji said while looking directly below them on the docks, he was currently rolling up his pant-legs, which were now quite long. His jacket he had discarded, and he was pushing up the sleeves of his pink dress shirt and fixing his now loose tie. His shoes were still on his feet, but they were barely hanging on. He also tightened his belt, tightly. His hair also seemed to be a bit longer than it had been, he was about the height of Robin's current chest height. All in all, he looked to have the age of a nine-year-old or so, give or take a year.

"Yare yare...this could be interesting," Robin proclaimed while crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"Matakun, can't we ever leave an island like normal pirates?" Nami sighed as she skillfully assembled her Perfect Clima Tact, which seemed to be a tad to big for her to hold onto.

"Guess not," Usopp chuckled nervously while equipping himself with his sling-shot, since Kabuto was currently too big for him to hold, let alone use.

"It's those idiot's fault we can never leave peacefully," Sanji muttered while adjusting his shoes as best he could while he watched marines gather on the deck and climb over the sides.

"Grab those kids!" a marine yelled pointing his sword towards the four others, before he was hit by-

"Usopp Rubber-band!"

"You little brat!"

"Usopp hammer, Usopp Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, Hammer!" As the battle started, one marine was already passed out with quite a few red bumps on his head due to a large hammer. Usopp was standing over him in triumph.

**As the fighting started, the wind blew even harder, and for one second, it sounded as if Thousand Sunny was roaring in anticipation...**


	7. Battle of the Marines

**Chapter 6 ~ Into the Storm!**

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

"_Grab those kids!" a marine yelled pointing his sword towards the four others, before he was hit by-_

"_Usopp Rubber-band!"_

"_You little brat!"_

"_Usopp hammer, Usopp Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, Hammer!" As the battle started, one marine was already passed out with quite a few red bumps on his head due to a large hammer. _

_As the fighting started, the wind blew even harder, and for one second, it sounded as if Thousand Sunny was roaring in anticipation..._

_**x**_

"THUNDER TEMPO!" Nami screamed as a large bolt of lightning came out of the sky and hit the marines standing in front of her. The thunderbolt seemed to have no effect on the raging storm around them as she watched more marines come towards her. Nami expertly twirled her Perfect Clima Tact while watching her nakama out of the corner of her eye. She was more worried about one in particular...

"Usopp Hammer!" Usopp screamed as he hit another marine on the head. He stood up proudly before running away from 3 more marines heading his way. He was running around the others trying to shake off the marines, he was unsuccessful.

"Come here ya little runt!" one marine called while walking toward Usopp, he would have grabbed the terrified toddler, had not arms suddenly sprout over his body and hold him in place, painfully.

"Clutch," Robin declared as a large crack resounded throughout the area. Usopp looked behind him to see the marine on the ground twitching in pain, foaming slightly at the mouth. Sighing in relief he turned around to look at his savior.

"Arigato Robin," Usopp smiled widely as Robin returned the gesture with a gentle smile of her own. Usopp glanced around as a flash of light invaded his field of vision.

"Swing Arm!" Nami yelled as the top piece of the swinging staff, pulsating with electricity hit the marines dead center, shocking quite a few of them. Usopp smirked admiring one of his many creations until he saw something yellow moving fast out of the corner of his eye.

"Mouton Shot!" Sanji yelled as he attacked the marines. His kicks were less effective than before, but they were still quite powerful against these marines. Sanji looked irritated as he kicked the marines one after another. First, he was turned into a child with a squeaky voice, than, to add insult to injury, his cigarettes were taken away from him. To say he was mad was quite the understatement, "Quasi-spin-Kick!" He was furious, and the marines were feeling the full blunt of his rage.

Meanwhile on shore the others fights were taking place...

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

"Franky Bazooka!" Franky cried as the bazooka he had crafted of the marines relieved guns, blasted off a shot powerful enough to take out around half of the small group. Franky grinned and laughed looking around so he could gloat to Zoro, only to find...

"Oi!" Franky yelled at the retreating Zoro only to receive no response in return. Sighing, knowing Nami was gonna be mad, Franky just re-loaded his gun and got ready to grab Zoro the next chance he got.

"Hyaa!" a marine cried swinging his sword at Franky, who at first was gonna just let it hit. I mean, he was made out of steel right? At least, that's what Franky thought until the sword cut his chest, which was quite painful.

"ITEE! That was un-super!" Franky screamed in pain while blasting his bazooka. '_Oh yeah, I'm human again...this weeks me is not very supa so far...' _Franky thought while becoming slightly depressed... This was going to be a long fight.

**x**

Brook was slashing his opponents left and right quite easily with his shikomizue. His fencing techniques were quite impressive to Chopper, who had stars in his eyes while watching the laughing skeleton.

"Yohohoho, Hanauta Sanchou: Yahazu Giri," Brook spoke as he slowly sheathed his gleaming sword after running right past the marines. A dull click was heard before all the marines crashed to the ground, unconscious. Chopper looked determined to be of help, so as a marine was trying to stand up after the lightning quick attack, Chopper gathered all the courage he had while transforming into walk point. He than charged towards the marine and hit him straight on with his antlers before stumbling away dizzily.

"Excellent work Chopper-san," Brook said to a now grinning Chopper as he sat down trying to regain his balance. After shaking his head to clear the rainwater out of his eyes, he looked to the others fights, he saw Zoro fighting marines while running away from the dock. Now why would he do that? Chopper shrugged and blamed the green-head's bad sense of direction before looking for the others. He saw Luffy and Ace fighting, the two were quite a powerful combination as they had proved to the world at Marine-ford when Luffy had finally released Ace.

Looking towards the Sunny, Chopper saw that the others were still fighting the marines that had climbed onto the deck, Chopper was so busy he didn't even notice the marine that snuck up behind him until...

"Nemuriuta Flanc!" Brook cried as a soothing lullaby was produced from his violin and shikomizue. Chopper looked behind him to see all the marines sleeping with little nose bubbles gently blowing, Brook raised his sword yet again and quickly thrust it forward, "Aubade Coup Droit!" A powerful blast of wind propelled towards the sleeping marines and pushed them back off the docks and into the water, it was very similar to one of Zoro's pound hou techniques.

"Arigato Brook!" Chopper thanked the skeleton before turning to look back at this nakama fighting on the Sunny.

_x_

_o_

_x_

"Thunder Tempo!" Nami fiercely cried as the marine dodged the attack and headed straight for the girl. Nami squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the hit that was to come. When she didn't feel the hit she slowly peeked over her shoulder to see a welcoming sight. Sanji was standing in front of her after having deflected the marines attack with one of his kicks.

"Don't you know it's rude to hit a lady," Sanji muttered darkly while staring at the marine who was suddenly kicked across the deck by the enraged Sanji. Nami smiled while watching Sanji attack some near-by marines. It looked like the perverted cook really could be sweet- '_Wait! First I think he's cute, now I think he's sweet! What's wrong with me!' _Nami questioned herself while another marine snuck behind her. Before she even raised her Clima Tact the marine was hit by a small explosion.

"Hissatsu Kayaku Boshi!" Usopp cried smiling victoriously while holding his slingshot. He laughed loudly until he started screaming and running away from more marines that were chasing him. Nami giggled before grabbing two parts of her Clima Tact and twirling them perfectly, "Heat Ball, Cool Ball."

"Ah hot," one marine said while feeling the red heat balls before getting slightly hurt.

"These are cold? Itee!" a marine said with a questioned tone while feeling the blue cool balls before they also did damage to him.

"Careful, chances of lighting are 100%," Nami cheerfully said while twirling another of the staff pieces as yellow orbs of crackling thunder emerged, "Thunder Tempo," Nami said cheerfully as a powerful strike of lighting hit all the marines, considering that was around 10,000 volts, they would be down for quite some time.

Meanwhile Robin was fighting the blunt of the marine forces, she was also watching the others to make sure they didn't get hurt. Glancing around the deck she saw the others fighting their own battles, she also saw Usopp being chased...again. Chuckling quietly Robin raised her arms into their familiar battle stance, "Seis Fleur: Twist." 6 arms sprouted from the marines and twisted their upper halfs around till a resounding crack was heard. Robin smiled gently as she saw Usopp proclaim he wasn't even at full strength yet.

Looking back towards the others fighting on the ground she was too distracted by what she saw to notice the incoming marines running straight for her. She looked back just in time to see Sanji fly towards the marines before kicking them in various places, "Collier, Epaule, Côtollete, Sélle, Poitrine, Gigot. Mouton Shot!" Sanji's rapid succession of attacks caused the marines to collapse to the floor in pain. Sanji than twirled around with concern in his eyes, "Are you okay Robin-chwan?"

"Hai, arigato Sanji-kun," Robin replied as she watched Sanji spin around with hearts in his eyes saying it was no problem at all. Robin smiled before the troubled look returned to her eyes as she looked back to where the others were fighting, not only had Michelle been hit by Garp, it looked like Zoro wouldn't make it time to help her. Smoker was sneaking up behind Luffy and looked to be hiding in the smoke that Ace's fire attacks had made when they had made contact with the rain.

**"OI MINA, GET YOUR BUTTS ON THIS SHIP NOW!"** Robin looked over surprised to see Nami standing on the railing and yelling towards the others on the ground. Most of them looked up, Zoro seemed to not hear or not care, Michelle was too far away, and Ace glanced over to acknowledge he had heard her. Robin smiled as Nami turned around to attack another marine before resuming her yelling at the others again. Following suite, Robin spun around and crossed her arms once again, "Seis Fleur: Clutch." Watching the marines hit the ground she looked around to see that they were the last. She also spotted Usopp and Sanji throwing the passed out marines into the water.

"We gotta go now, if we stay any longer the storms not gonna let us leave," Nami spoke frantically while running over towards the others. Her shorts were now firmly tied with a piece of twine and she was clutching her Clima Tact in it's separated form.

"Hai, if we wait any longer we might be wiped out on the sea," Robin said cheerfully while Usopp and Nami looked at her shuddering, "Don't say that!" they shouted while Sanji looked over towards the others.

"I don't think we'll be able to leave so soon if Luffy has to face Smoker," Sanji declared while watching the marine sneak up on the oblivious Luffy.

"Eh!" Nami and Usopp yelled running over to the side, they saw Franky, Brook, and Chopper getting ready to climb onto the Sunny with Zoro clutching Michelle who was passed out, a small kitten in her lap. Deciding to think about the cat later they looked towards Ace and Luffy's fight, they saw a white trail of smoke suddenly shoot towards the younger D.

**x**

**"LUFFY!"** Ace yelled as he spun around to see his brother wiggling in Smokers grasp. Ace quickly gathered a small ball of flames in his hand and threw it towards the marines he was currently fighting. He than ran towards Luffy only to see a white trail of smoke shoot towards him also, "Kagero!" Ace yelled shooting out a stream of fire to neutralize the smoke, the same move he used on Smoker in Alabasta. Watching the rain hit the flames, he saw smoke appearing here and there before it was viciously beaten down by the rain, yet he saw some of it wasn't disappearing, but forming a circle around him.

"Enkai," Ace muttered as he swung his outstretched fist around him summoning a circle of flames, "Hibashira!" A column of flames shot into the air surrounding Ace at the same time the smoke had formed an iron-tight grip around the fire pillar, which would have been Ace. As the smoke slowly cleared and the flames died down, the marines were looking upon a glaring Ace holding red-hot flames in his hand, "Let my brother go Smoker!"

"Oh? Why would I do that?" Smoker asked while holding Luffy in a tendril of smoke above their heads as the rubber boy struggled to get free.

"Cause I'm gonna make you," Ace said glaring at the smoke user with pure hatred shown clear in his eyes.

"Oh? How are you gonna do that?" Smoker asked in a taunting voice as Ace placed his hat on top of his head, much like Luffy does sometimes. Slowly lowering his hand from his hat Ace glance up to fix Smoker in a glare that sent shivers down even the White Hunter's spine.

"Like this," Ace spoke as his hands grew a light green color, "Hotarubi." Small green orbs of light floated out of his palm and slowly started heading towards Smoker, who's lower half was quickly turning toward smoke. As the green orbs slowly stopped and hovered in front of Smoker Ace smirked before speaking, "Hidaruma!"

The green orbs suddenly flew with tremendous speed towards the surprised Smoker and latched onto his body before busting into flame and trying to burn the smoke-user. Smoker quickly turned into smoke before all of the green orbs could burn him, the down side to his smoke, was that it masked his enemy's movements sometimes, "Shinka: Shiranui!" Ace cried as two burning lances flew towards Smoker who now faced quite the dilemma. If the red-hot spears went through his current smoke form, the fire would cause the smoke too die down, thus weakening him, if he tried to block the attack he would have to let Mugiwara go...Quickly debating the matter, Smoker growled and gritted his teeth as he quickly decided and dropped the squirming Luffy before raising both of his arms to counter-attack.

"White Blow!" A thick dense screen of smoke shot out of both hands as the lance hit the smoke, the two canceling out the other. Ace smirked as he looked over to see if Luffy was okay, only to quickly become panicked as he saw a marine run towards the younger D who also saw the marine and tried to counter-attack or even dodge, but there was no time...

_x_

_o_

_x_

"What do you mean Luffy and Ace aren't coming!" Nami half-yelled and half-asked as Franky, Brook, and the others got on board.

"Yohoho, Ace-san said he and Luffy-san would catch up on the Striker, I believe it is Ace-san's raft," Brook explained calmly while sipping some tea he had made from the kitchen.

"This isn't time to be drinking tea idiot!" Nami yelled throwing one of her shoes at the skeleton with a furious look on her face, although at her current age, it looked more like a pout, "Fine! As long as they catch up, but even if we leave now there's no way we could get out of here with the wind blowing the way it is now." And indeed the wind which had been flowing out towards sea before, was now blowing fiercely towards the island, meaning that sails were out of the option since they would just crash into the docks once they raised the anchor.

"What about the paddles?" Franky asked not wanting to hear that the Sunny might not be able to get out of this storm

"No use, the waves are too high, we would make it out, but not quick enough," Nami said biting her nail.

"What do you mean not quick enough?" Chopper asked tugging on Nami's shirt before Usopp spoke up.

"Yeah, if it's just the storm we'll make it out with the paddles..."

"This isn't just a storm, it's developing into a hurricane..." Nami said quietly while Brook, Usopp, and Chopper stared at her blankly for a few seconds before-

"NANI!"

**x**

_**"LUFFY!" **_Ace yelled as the marines sword easily pierced the boy's rubbery flesh and traveled all the way through to the other side. Luffy had a look of slight shock on his face while his eyes were fogged over by the pain. The marine was smirking and had a sinister look on his face, as did the marine Vice-Admiral who had just arrived to see what happened. Smoker seemed to be uncaring, but inside he felt a little bad seeing the kid get stabbed as he was now.

Now usually, Luffy would be able to bounce right back after a attack like that, but remember dear reader, Luffy currently has the body of a child, even if he does have devil fruit abilities, his body is still to weak to handle that kind of extreme pain.

The scariest one who had witnessed what had happened, was none other than protective older brother who had a look of absolute rage upon his features. Ace started to run forward while a memory from the two's childhood seemed to drift to the surface of his thoughts...

_x_

_o_

_x_

"_Oi, what are you doing to him?" a ten-year-old Ace yelled as he ran up to a group of some kids around the same age as him._

"_Crap it's Ace!"_

"_Run!" Ace stopped near the small unmoving pile that was the beaten-up Luffy as the kids ran away upon seeing the older D, even the teenagers knew not to mess with Ace when his little brother was involved._

"_Oi Luffy, are you okay?" Ace asked worriedly as he bent down next to the bundle that was slowly starting to move. Luffy got to his knees before slowly looking up at Ace, who's eyes widened at his little brother's condition._

"_Ah, Nii-chan..." Luffy muttered before slowly falling asleep in Ace's lap. Ace slowly blushed before something hit him. Luffy had just called him Nii-chan...He usually just called him Ace, even after he and Luffy had become 'brothers'. Sure, the whole village, and I do mean _whole,_called them brothers since they not only looked alike but were always together. When you saw one of the boys, the other was not far behind. But Luffy had never actually referred to him as his older brother..._

_Ace glance down at the younger D who had cuts and bruises all over his body, he thought back to what Luffy had called him before slowly smiling, for some reason he didn't really mind Luffy calling him Nii-chan, it made him feel proud he was like an older brother to the small boy._

_Standing up Ace gently tugged Luffy onto his shoulders, trying hard not to wake the boy. '_Better take him to Makino-san since she's closest,'_ Ace thought as he started heading towards Party's Bar, thinking of the best way he could beat up the kids who did this later, until a quiet voice broke his train of thought._

"_Nngh...what happened?" Luffy asked as he slowly woke up and changed positions to where he was unconsciously holding onto Ace's neck with both arms._

"_You got beat up again," Ace said with a trace of anger in his voice that was lost on the young boy._

"_Did not! I just got into a fight," Luffy's loud shout seemed to dim down into an embarrassed mutter near the end of his sentence. Ace smiled although a trace of sadness lingered on his features._

"_I don't think you can call it a fight Lu if you do nothing but take the hits," Ace said teasing the young boy who who didn't seem to even try to fight back...odd. Ace glanced behind him to see Luffy was thinking deeply, now unlike most people who knew Luffy, Ace knew he was quite smart when he chose to be, "I don' know why you don't fight back, you could kick their butts."_

"_I didn't want to hurt them..." Luffy finally muttered softly while Ace looked a little shocked at this reply. Sure Luffy was a little oblivious to the small things, but this kid was acting like a adult! _

"_What do you mean you don't want hurt them, you're gonna have mental scars the rest of your life?" Ace half-asked and half-yelled at Luffy. '_Stupid old man,' _Ace thought, a picture of Garp popping into his head, '_he had to train Luffy to where he's afraid he'll hurt people, that-' _Ace thoughts were abruptly cut off when he looked back at the younger D, surprised to see he had a soft and gentle look in his eyes with a hint of maturity hidden in them._

"_Shihehehe, I'm not mad at them," Luffy said gently laying his head down on Ace's shoulder with a light pink tinge covering his cheeks, "Cause I know my Nii-chan will always protect me."_

_Ace looked over at the young boy shocked. Had the world forgotten about the ways of forgiveness? Not only did Luffy not fight back cause he was afraid he'd hurt someone with that crazy old man's training, but he also trusted Ace enough to protect him no matter what. Ace gently smiled while shifting Luffy to where he had the young boy clutched to his chest._

"_That's right Lu, I'll always take care of you, you know why?" Ace asked looking at the gently sleeping boy. Luffy simply reached out and clutched Ace's shirt with both hands while letting out a contended __sigh, "Cause you're my little brother..." Ace finished while finally spotting Party's Bar up ahead. Ace looked down startled as he felt a gentle tugging on his shirt._

"_Arigato Nii-chan," Luffy said smiling that brighter-than-the-sun smile of his. Ace seemed to blush deeply since he had figured Luffy had been asleep when he had said that, guess some things will never change._

"_Come on you crazy little Monkey, let's get you cleaned up," Ace finally said while Luffy laughed. Guess he would just have to get used to having a little brother now, cause he would always be Luffy's Nii-chan, which meant he would always protect him when he was in trouble..._

_**x**_

A sudden laughter broke out among all the marines, it was a rough laughter that still had traces of anger in it, "Bwahahahah! Oi you!" Garp shouted addressing the navel officer who had stabbed Luffy, "If I were you, I'd run, you just stabbed the little brother of one of the strongest pirates in the Grand Line," Garp finished breaking into laughter again. No one understood what he was talking about until they looked over at the older D who's face was currently darkened due to his large orange hat.

"You better hope you still live after he's done with ya," Garp addressed the marine once more while looking at the enraged Ace, now he felt sorry for the marine who stabbed Luffy. Ace was always so protective of the kid, and every-time he got hurt, someone got hurt in return. Garp sighed, how was he gonna explain to Sengoku that a ten-year-old kid killed one of his crew...


	8. The Big Brother

**Chapter 7~The Reason the Big Brother is Born First...**_yes I stole it from Bleach_

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

_Garp sighed, how was he gonna explain to Sengoku that a ten-year-old kid killed one of his crew..._

_**x**_

I slowly opened my eyes while trying to see what was going on around me. I moved to the side a little bit only to feel my left side hu~rt! I looked down only to remember I had been run through with a sword. Kuso! I didn't even get one good hit in! I squinted my eyes while trying to ignore the pain and see what had happened to the others. I first turned my head slowly towards the Sunny to see the others were on board and shouting something to Ace and me, I couldn't tell what it was though, the storm was way too strong.

I than slowly lifted my head towards the marine who stabbed me. I was surprised when I saw he had a pure look of terror on his face. I strained my brain trying to think if I had hit him or anything when I got stabbed. I was so busy trying to think if I did anything to the marine, I didn't even take time to look over to see if Ace was okay!

**x**

Ace gathered bright red flames in his right hand while menacingly glaring at the marines. To say Ace was enraged would have been an understatement. He was glaring fiercely at the marine who had stabbed Luffy with...an emotion that was stronger than hate itself showing in his eyes. Luffy was staring at the marine with his eyes closed, but instead of having a look of pain on his face, his lips were pursed and he seemed to be thinking really hard about something. In the back of his mind, Ace smirked knowing Luffy would never change no matter how old he was.

Ace also glanced at Smoker who seemed to have some form of empathy in his eyes, Ace could tell the marine didn't completely hate his little brother, although he acted like it. He also glanced at Garp, who seemed to be as mad as Ace. Ace himself knew Garp had acted like a father to the boy, albeit one who threw him off cliffs, tied him to a chairs with balloons tied on them, and also threw him into dark forests at night...but Garp had still proved his fatherly love towards the boys at Marine-ford, after he had been forced to fight with Luffy.

Somewhere in his mind Ace smirked at the sight of Garp's enraged appearance with veins popping out, he was also sad that he couldn't stop Luffy from getting hurt, happy his little brother was still alive, proud his brother was brave enough not to even cry out, but the emotion that finally won...rage. Ace was the angriest he had ever been, and he was about to get some payback on the marines for both him and Luffy.

The marines all watched the flame-wielder, a few of them decided that 'hey he was just a kid and he couldn't possibly be much stronger than Mugiwara was', so they had the bright idea to charge as soon as the next strike of thunder and lightning clashed...they were wrong in their reasoning and decision. For as soon as they had started charging at the boy, the elder D smirked quite an evil smirk before the flames in his hands grew even stronger and larger, Ace than bent his knees slightly before aiming his outstretched palm towards the ground while gripping the wrist for support with his other hand.

"Daienkai!" Ace yelled loudly as large bright orange flames gathered around his feet from all over and seemed to form a large alternating circles that seemed to devour anything in there way, any of the marines who came close were quickly burned by the scorching flames, the only place the flames seemed to avoid was the small rubber form, that still had his eyes closed in deep concentration. As soon as the marines saw the flames wouldn't be put out by the rain, they quickly retreated to where they were facing the harbor, Ace and Luffy, it was than that Ace saw his opportunity.

"Oi marines," Ace called addressing the marines facing him. He looked up to see the confused and startled expressions on their faces, knowing he had their attention before continuing, "Do you know why the big brother is always born first?"

The marines all looked puzzled at the question, what on earth was this kid talking about? Ace saw all the expressions before smirking while quickly going over his plan in his mind, as much as he would like to stay and inflict some lasting damage onto the marines...he had to get Luffy to his crew's doctor quick, otherwise with his current form, some serious damage could occur. Smirking even wider and making his decision, Ace raised both arms high in the air while the flames started to gather at his command.

"The big brother is always born first, so he can protect his little brother," Ace replied to his question before the flames that gathered glowed brighter and brighter, "Kyokaen!" Ace cried out as a huge firewall sprang up, separating the marines and the two brothers. The wall that was crackling with flames seemed to resemble the fierce clashing waves more than any fire. Not even 'White Hunter' Smoker's smoke powers could quench the fire that had been formed.

Ace quickly made the firewall as strong as he could before he suddenly collapsed to both knees in exhaustion, '_Nan da? I never get weak when I use my powers, so why now? Does this have something to do with whatever that girl did to us?' _Ace's thoughts raced as he rested on the ground. He looked through the flames to see the marines trying to force their way through. Smirking Ace slowly tried to climb to his feet. Finally managing, Ace ran over to check on his little brother.

"Luffy, are you okay?"

**x**

I looked up while still trying to figure out why the marine had looked that way. I immediately forgot about it when I saw Ace standing in front of me, looking just like he had when we were kids. I smiled without even thinking before voicing my reply.

"Aa, I'm fine," I spoke evenly while carefully trying to mask my pain and take note of the look on Ace's face. I knew that look, and he knew I was lying about my wound. Dang it! No matter what, he always seems to know when I'm lying...I wonder how...my lies are always super convincing...I shrugged it off and looked up when I heard a dull _riiip_ slice through the air. I looked up to see Ace tearing one of his shirts into strips. I looked beside him to see his open pack with a shirt hanging out out of the side.

I guess I looked confused since Ace chuckled after looking at my expression.

"I'm making temporary bandages till Chopper can see you," he explained while ripping a few more strips. I slowly shifted my position to where I was sitting cross-legged while hiding how much pain it had really caused me to move.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine, the sword just grazed me," I lied while trying to suppress all pain I felt in my side. It's not that I like lying to Ace, I just don't want him to worry about me. Every-time I get hurt, he get sad and worried. He also gets mad at whoever hurt me. He even seems like he's in pain too! I don't like that.

"Oh really, you're not hurt?" Ace asked. I heard some weird tone in his voice that I often heard in the others voices when they doubted my stories...but maybe it was just where the wind was blowing too hard to hear him clear enough.

"Of course not, I'm super strong!" I boasted with full confidence while lifting my arms for emphasis. I flinched at the pain it caused to stretch my sides and hoped Ace hadn't noticed. I thought I was in the clear till I saw Ace had a expression of mischief and unbelief on his face. I paled and put my arms half-way down, having a slight idea on what he might do. He than quickly reached down and hovered his finger right near the area where I had been stabbed. I'm not sure, but my face was probably pale and I heard my voice stutter when I spoke.

"A-Ace...w-what are you doing?" I asked as I saw him smile an evil smile that sent shivers down my spine. His bangs had come down to where his face was darkened a little bit. He was as scary as Makino-san when she saw Shanks showing us some weird magazines. He than poked my side...and it hurt, a lot, "ITEE! THAT HURT!" I screamed while clutching at my side with tears at the corners of my eyes.

"Oh calm down crybaby, I barely touched it, and what was that about not being hurt?" I looked at Ace to see he had a smug look on his face. But I know my Nii-chan better than he thinks. He didn't really look smug if you looked closer. He was faking the smile, you could tell because the corners were starting to twitch in a downward expression, like they do when he's worried. His eyes held a glimmer of pain and remorse for hurting me. I could also tell he was worried by the tone of his voice and the way he was moving from side to side. I pretended that I hadn't noticed his true feelings, cause that would only make him even more guilty for showing he was worried.

I avoided looking at him in the eyes so he couldn't tell I noticed, instead opting to stare at a spot on the ground. I saw the colors of Ace's flame wall emit dancing shadows all around us. I felt kinda guilty since Ace wouldn't be so worried if I hadn't gotten stabbed in the first place. I glanced back quickly to see what Ace was doing. I saw him lift up my shirt up to look at the wound. For some reason...Instead of just ignoring him like usual...I felt my face heat up...why is that? Maybe it's just where we're so close to Ace's firewall.

**x**

Ace gently lifted Luffy's shirt to inspect the boy's wound before glancing at the boy and smiling when he saw Luffy trying to avoid his gaze, typical Luffy. He was probably embarrassed about getting hurt without getting a punch in. As Ace gently felt the area around the wound, he looked back at Luffy's face to see just how tender the skin was. Now, he was expecting to see a small wince of pain, or even a tear or two to try and sneak it's way down the boys' cheek, or even for Luffy to complain about it hurting, but what he didn't expect was for a very noticeable blush to creep up on the boy's face.

Ace stared blankly at Luffy's reaction for a few seconds, the younger D had one of his eyes closed in pain with a unshed tear welling up at the corner, he also had a dull pink blush spreading quickly across his face. Ace's mind, at first, was blank, till one thought came to mind, '_Ugh...Luffy's too cute for his own good..._ ' Ace groaned in his mind while the logical part quickly took over. He refused to accept the boy's blush, for that was a very dangerous thing to do for the older D. He denied it. Denied denied denied.

Ace simply quickly turned his head back towards the boys wound, mind wiped blank, before picking up some of the strips and quickly tying them around the wound without even noticing what he was doing. He tied it gently to where he wouldn't hurt the boy, yet tight enough to stop the blood flow and not fall off. Meanwhile Luffy still had his blush while glancing at his brother out of the corner of his eyes...to the younger's horror, the blush only worsened...


	9. Into the Storm!

**Chapter 8 ~ Into the Eye of the Hurricane!**

**X**

**o**

**x**

_Ace saw all the expressions before smirking while quickly thinking his plan over in his mind, as much as he would like to stay and inflict some lasting damage onto the marines...he had to get Luffy to a doctor quick, otherwise with his current form, some serious damage could occur._

_**x**_

"Come on Luffy, we have to get outta here before the hurricane hits," Ace spoke quickly while slipping on the rest of the shirt he used to bandage Luffy's wound, it now fit surprisingly well. He threw his bag over his shoulder before turning back to the puzzled Luffy.

"Hurricane? I thought it was just a storm?" Luffy asked with his head tilted to the side. Ace would have laughed at the cute expression Luffy was wearing, but was too concerned about the coming hurricane, and the fact that his brother could barely move.

"Apparently not. A huge storm is coming, and it's not gonna be a pleasant one, so we have to leave, got it?"

"Hai."

"Good, can you stand?" Ace asked while looking down at Luffy. He saw a flash of apprehension cross the boys face, before a look of determination took it's place.

"Of course!" Luffy cried out, causing Ace to smile. Luffy slowly crawled to his hands and knees before balancing on his hands, and very gently pushing himself to his feet. If it had hurt, he had hid his pain very well. Ace looked down to see a smiling Luffy. But just as Ace couldn't fool Luffy, the younger D couldn't fool his brother. Ace sighed and bent down to the child's level as the prevailing winds blew his hat to where it was hanging on his back. Although Luffy was smiling, Ace could see the sides of his mouth twitching up and down, and his eyes were closed tighter than when he normally smiled.

Ace slowly shook his head and sighed before gently placing Luffy's straw-hat on the boys head. Luffy looked a little surprised before Ace gently picked the boy up and held him tightly against his chest. Instead of fighting to get down and walk on his own like he would do if anyone else tried to pick him up, Luffy was unusually calm, and just clutched Ace's shirt with both hands while a calm look came over him. Deciding to wonder why Luffy was acting so strange later, Ace started running towards the dock while keeping Luffy as still as possible.

After a few minutes of running, and almost slipping on the slippery stones underfoot, Ace felt a small gentle tug on his shirt, he glanced down to see Luffy looking tired. He also seemed to have a pink dusting of blush across his cheeks.

"Ne Ace?"

"Hmm?"

"Never-mind," Luffy muttered in a small tone while turning to snuggle deeper into Ace's arms. The meek behavior of the young boy worried Ace, Luffy was usually very outspoken and always said what he wanted to. Forget asking, you'd be lucky if he said thank you after he did what he wanted to. Ace gently placed one hand on the boys forehead. He quickly retracted his hand when he felt the boy's burning temperature. Still...even if Luffy had a fever, he wouldn't be that meek. Deciding to question the boy later on his behavior, Ace hugged the boy tighter before running even faster. He heard Luffy let out a content sigh before struggling to keep his eyes open. Ace almost laughed at the boy's effort.

"Oi Luffy, you can go ahead and rest, nothings gonna happen," Ace said, trying to reassure the small boy. Luffy slowly looked up at Ace, he could see the younger D was fighting to stay awake and had some weird emotion showing in his eyes that he couldn't make out.

"Haaai," Luffy weakly mumbled before closing his eyes and quickly drifting off into a deep sleep. Ace chuckled at the boys behavior before glancing behind him to see if any marines were following. He laughed as he saw they were doing their best to try and break the flame barrier he had erected. He even saw Smoker starting to lose his temper. Ace smiled even wider as he spotted the striker up ahead. He skid to a stop on the dock before bending over and trying to get his breath back.

"Hold on tight Luffy," Ace whispered to the boy as he stood up and used one hand to undo the rope tying the craft to the docks. He than quickly jumped into the yellow crescent-shaped raft before adjusting Luffy to where the boy was leaning comfortably against the older D, but to where Ace could use his Mera Mera powers without fear of hurting Luffy. Bright flames started to lick around the inside of the raft, quickly finding their way to the engine. A few seconds later, Ace was racing along the water, flames flying wickedly beside him.

"Now this might be a problem to get through," Ace said while staring at the huge hurricane that was quickly coming towards him and the Sunny that was just up ahead.

**x**

"Oi mina! Are we really gonna leave them behind?" Usopp half-yelled and half-asked as the others were all staring at each other after Franky had told the others what had happened.

"Don't worry Usopp, Luffy's with Ace too remember?" Zoro said while trying his best to hold on to his three swords and Michelle at the same time. He was finding the task hard to do.

"Says the mini-marimo," Sanji muttered from his place on the deck, he was sitting down and trying to figure out how to make his shoes fit temporarily.

"What was that curly-kid!" Zoro yelled while spinning away to face the cook with a look of anger on his face, Michelle not even moving in his arms.

"You heard me baka-swordsman!" Sanji yelled back while jumping to his feet. Not even two seconds later the two were once again fighting. Michelle had been handed over to a confused Franky as Zoro took out two of his swords. Even in their current forms, they were still keeping up with each other. The others ignored them, use to the sight by now, well almost everyone ignored them.

"Well, as long as Ace and Luffy catch up, I guess we have no choice but to leave," Nami said while dusting her hands, behind her were Sanji and Zoro with large red bumps on their heads. Both had tears at the corner of their eyes.

"Witch..." Zoro muttered sitting up and crossing his arms.

"I still love you Nami-swaan!" Sanji proclaimed with hearts in his eyes while clutching the sore on his head.

"Idiot..." Zoro muttered again while staring at Sanji with an annoyed look on his features.

"They'll be all right, right?" Chopper worryingly asked while having Franky sit down so he could tend to Michelle and Kayla's wounds. He was gently tying a bandage around the girl's head, who had now woken up and was listening to the conversation.

"Don't worry. Luffy-san is one of the eleven rookies, right? Besides Ace-kun is with him too. I'm sure they'll both be fine," Michelle said smiling, but her words were drastically contradicting her actions as she was shaking and sweating heavily.

"Oi, you're more worried than us," Usopp declared while staring at the girl, "by the way...who are you?"

"Ah, gomen-nasai. I'm Michelle. I'm a nakama of Ace's," Michelle responded while Nami suddenly banged her fist into her hand.

"I remember where I've seen you before! I've seen your bounty poster!"

"So have I," Robin said while leaning against the mast, "Black Static Michelle, over 260 million beli on your head if I'm not mistaken."

"Hai," Michelle said while scratching her head with a light smile on her features.

"T-t-t-two-hundred-sixty million!" Usopp yelled while Chopper had stars in his eyes.

"Wow! You must be incredible!" Chopper yelled while staring at Michelle.

"Ah, not really. Thank you for treating my wounds also, Chopper-sensei," Michelle responded smiling sweetly.

"Bakero! You're praise doesn't make me happy!" Chopper exclaimed while swinging cutely back and forth. Michelle gently laughed.

"I take it that means thank you for the compliment," Michelle laughed while asking the others.

"Hai," Usopp, Franky, and Nami all said with an exasperated smile on their features, use to the reindeer's actions by now.

"Nami-san, I think we may have a problem," Brook spoke up while Nami looked at the skeleton confused. Brook than pointed towards the giant hurricane that was forming behind them...only...

"Shimata! That's not just a hurricane, it's also a cyclone!"

"NANI!" half of the crew shouted while staring at the panicked navigator. Nami clutched the rail tightly while barely staring over it, due to her shortened height.

"Robin, Brook, raise the sails, Franky, Usopp go and prepare the ship for a Coup de Burst!" Nami started shouting, "Zoro, Sanji, both of you _work together _ and raise the anchor, NOW!" Everyone scrambled to do their jobs while trying to avoid angering the fiery orange-haired navigator.

"Yohoho hai Nami-san!"

"Hai Nami-swaan!"

"Love-cook!"

"Ryokai!"

"What about me Nami?" Chopper asked while his red hat once again fell over his eyes.

"Just keep patching up Michelle-chan's wounds," Nami said while Michelle blushed a bit.

"I'm fine! I can work just like everyone else," Michelle yelled in a somewhat small voice while trying to stand up. But due to her wounds darkness was suddenly threatening to overcome her, "Maybe I'll just sit down instead," she finished while slowly sitting back down and letting Chopper continuing bandaging her up. Kayla seemed to purr beside her before jumping in her lap.

Nami chuckled before looking around to make sure everyone was doing their jobs. Brook had made use of his light weight to climb up the mast and fold the sails, Robin meanwhile was using her devil fruit to tie the sails firmly in place. Robin saw Sanji and Zoro were fighting again, but this time they seemed to be working together long enough to actually do their job. Nami just sighed before glancing around to see Usopp and Franky rolling some barrels of cola down into the lower areas of the ship. She glanced back at the cyclone before praying that Luffy and Ace would make it out okay.

**x**

"Oi Luffy, you're gonna have to hang on tight okay?" Ace yelled over the screaming storm while trying to navigate the 8-foot waves. He was having a hard time since he couldn't use too much fire power or it'd burn Luffy. Ace felt Luffy move around in his arms before shifting into a position to where he was clutching Ace's neck. At least he knew the small boy was awake enough to hear him. He thought he heard Luffy mutter something about thunderstorms as he tightly clutched Ace, but couldn't be sure since the wind was blowing too loudly.

Looking up ahead he saw a large wave at least 18 feet high, or more, come crashing towards them. Ace paled knowing if they fell in neither would be able to swim away. Even if they weren't Anchors, the waves would be too rough to swim very well in. Ace tightened his hold on Luffy before increasing the fire that was sent to the engine of the striker. He than smiled the infamous D smirk.

"Sink or Swim," Ace muttered laughing at the irony of the sentence. Right before the wave crashed over the two brothers, Ace made use of the wind currents and quickly unfurled the sail behind him. As the winds caught the white sail, the striker was quickly pushed back by the prevailing winds. The wave crashed onto the surface of the water and splashed water over the already soaking-wet boys. Ace grimaced knowing it would be harder to steer now that the sail was unfurled and the winds were flying in every direction.

Right as another wave current was threatening to catch them from behind, the winds all turned towards the cyclone, which was the exact direction Ace needed to go. The winds filled the sails and the striker was quickly pushed forward by the raging winds. It seemed that the winds of the cyclone had changed the weather to where all winds were flowing towards it. '_It seems like the rumors of the rookies luck are true,'_ Ace thought while laughing to himself as he glanced down at his little brother.

Ace could see the Sunny just ahead of them. He quickly made the flames bigger, quickly catching up to the Sunny, before making them disappear to where the striker was now sailing evenly with the large ship beside them. Ace looked up and saw a face looking over the railing, looking closer he saw the person had a mop of bright orange hair.

**x**

"Ah, Ace Luffy!" Nami shouted smiling. Michelle's head snapped up upon hearing the names.

"Really, they're okay!" Michelle shouted while running over to where Nami was standing. She had to hang on to the older girl's leg since she was as tall as a 3-year-old.

"Oi Ace! You have to get on the Sunny, otherwise the cyclone will destroy the striker-"

"And you along with it," Nami said interrupting Franky's warning to the flame-user, causing Franky to look slightly irritated.

"I'm open to suggestions!" Ace shouted back up at the guys on deck while another wave crashed onto the striker, threatening to pull it under water.

"Franky! Open the soldier dock system!" Luffy suddenly shouted from Ace's arms while looking up to his crew.

"Ah! Than the two could duck into the dock system before we use the Coup de Burst!" Nami shouted, "Brilliant Luffy! Franky hurry and activate the soldier dock system."

"Ryokai," Franky answered while running to the wheel. Meanwhile Usopp was running up the stairs to the hold after preparing all the cola.

"Oi, it's ready!" Usopp yelled looking proud.

"Good, go down and count to 100 before activating it. No sooner no less, otherwise someone could die, got it!" Nami shouted to Usopp, who suddenly skidded to a halt and paled, knowing the _somebody_ could be him.

"R-Ryokai!" Usopp said shivering from all the weight that was now on his shoulders. He shakily ran back downstairs while starting to carefully count in his head. Franky meanwhile, had reached the wheel and was almost ready to activate the dock system.

"Ready?" he asked Nami.

"Hai, open it!" Nami yelled back while glancing down to make sure Ace and Luffy were still keeping up with the boat, "Oi, look out!"

Ace glanced up to see a large wave come straight toward them. And it was the largest wave yet. Topping at around 35 feet high, it would sink any craft as small as the striker, "Things can never be easy, can they?" Ace muttered while the wave came towards them even closer. He clutched Luffy tightly against his chest before hearing a distant shout on board the Sunny.

x

"Soldier Dock System! Dock 4!" Franky yelled while spinning the wheel to where it landed on the number 4. He than pulled back the lever. Down below the number 4 dock opened slowly...only problem was...

"BAKERO! IT'S ON THE WRONG SIDE!"

"NANI!"

Nami ran over and her first reaction was to hit Franky but realized, her current height wasn't tall enough to reach him. Deciding to hand out punishment later, she turned her thoughts to how the boys would get into the dock now that it was on the other side of them. Before she could think any more however, the wave hit them, hard. Everyone on deck was quickly submerged by the water. As soon as the water receded back into the ocean, Nami looked around to make sure everyone was okay.

Franky was holding her so the water wouldn't carry her off in her small form, she looked around to see Brook was holding onto Chopper and Kayla, while Robin had sprouted arms to keep Sanji and Zoro in place. Not spotting Michelle Nami quickly scoured the deck to see Zoro was tightly clutching her. Smiling wickedly and thinking of the blackmail already, Nami quickly ran to the rail to check and see if Ace and Luffy had made it...

**x**

The wave rushed forward before quickly submerging the striker. Ace and Luffy were quickly driven under the waves, along with the striker. Ace was still clutching Luffy to his chest while trying to move in the water. To his surprise, he did. '_Nani? I can move? But..devil fruits are supposed to make their users unable to move in the water..That's the price we pay for the power we receive...' _While Ace's thoughts raced around in his head, he quickly realized Luffy was unable to move and was getting weaker and weaker. Putting his thoughts aside Ace tucked Luffy into his chest and held onto the boy with one arm. He than used the other arm and both legs to kick his way to the surface. As soon as he broke the surface he saw another wave come straight towards him.

Holding his breath, Ace ducked back underwater. The waves pushed him further and further under, but instead of giving up, he just fought even harder and pushed his way to the surface. After gasping and trying to regulate his breathing, he looked down to see if Luffy was okay.

"Nngh..meat..." Luffy softly muttered causing Ace to let out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding at the time. Smiling, knowing his brother was fine, Ace looked around to try and spot the striker. He saw it bouncing in the waves a few feet away. He quickly swam towards it before climbing into it and leaning against the side panting heavily.

"Let's not try that again, agreed?" Ace muttered to Luffy, not expecting an answer from the boy.

"Agreed," Luffy muttered while coughing up some water before leaning against Ace again and quickly slipping into unconscious. Ace chuckled before slowly standing up and activating his Mera Mera powers and steering the raft towards the Sunny. This time he saw where the dock had been opened. The wave had been so strong, it had pushed the two boys and the striker clear under the boat and onto the other side. Ace used the last of his strength and made the flames as fierce as possible, he than raced forward to try and make it into the dock...until...

**x**

"Matakun...will out luck ever change?" Nami asked herself while the gang stared at the next wave approaching them. The water had seemed to turn pure black in the storm, making it even more menacing. A flash of lightning lashed out across the sky illuminating the tall wave which easily towered over 80 feet.

**x**

"My luck," Ace muttered staring at the wave. He knew that if that wave hit them, this time, they wouldn't come up. He increased the speed of the raft even more and tried to reach the dock even quicker.

**x**

"99...100!" Usopp yelled while pulling the lever that activated the Coup de Burst. He couldn't hear Nami shouting at him to wait since a clash of thunder had sounded off right as the warning was yelled.

**x**

The engines behind the Sunny charged with blue energy while the wave came ever closer to the crew. Ace was panting from the drain using his powers caused him, the dock was mere feet away from him.

**x**

"It's here!" Brook yelled while running around the deck with Chopper and Usopp, who had just come up from below, all three were running around the deck screaming they were gonna die. Michelle was staring at the wave with fear in her eyes. Sanji and Zoro had shock in theirs. Robin was ever calm as always, while Franky and Nami seemed to be wondering what stars they were born under to have this much bad luck.

This time, not only were they dealing with some crazy girl who seemed to be talking about tests, but they were also dealing with the very forces of nature themselves...Who knows if they'll make it this time. Oh wait, I know...Heheh...


	10. The Illbegoten Child

**Chapter 9 ~ The Appearance of the Ill-Begotten Child!**

**X**

**o**

**x**

"_It's here!" Brook yelled while running around the deck with Chopper and Usopp. This time, not only were they dealing with some crazy girl who seemed to be talking about tests, but they were also dealing with the very forces of nature themselves..._

**x**

The wave drew ever closer as the crew panicked. Nami was staring at the wave in shock before Franky quickly grabbed her and held on to the wheel tightly. On the deck Brook had grabbed Usopp and Chopper and was firmly hanging on to the mast with all his might. Michelle and Kayla were being clutched by Zoro, before arms suddenly sprouted up on the deck and firmly held everyone in place. Sanji was trying to make his way to where Nami was but hands quickly sprouted up and prevented him from moving.

As soon as everyone had been secured, the wave crashed onto the deck. The mere force of the wave was threatening to pull everyone underwater. If it wasn't for Robin's replicated arms, everyone would have been drowned by now, but that was the least of their problems. For on the aft of the ship, engines were glowing bright blue with energy. Powered by cola, the Coup de Burst was suddenly activated, and the whole ship was launched forward, it took all the crew's effort not to slide off of the slippery wet deck. After flying straight through the threatening black clouds, a bright light was shinning brightly in everyone's eyes. It was the sun. They had made it past the cyclone and back onto calm seas.

Nami was the first to jump up. She ran to look behind them. She saw the swirling cyclone only a few miles behind them, still twisting in menacing energy. Releasing a large sigh Nami slowly sunk to the floor in exhaustion. She than glanced behind her to make sure everyone was alright.

"Is everyone here?" she asked while standing up and running down a set of stairs to where she was overlooking the lawn deck. She saw the others spread out over the deck looking bed-ragged.

"H-Hai," Usopp and Chopper tiredly responded while shaking in Brook's arms.

"Yohoho, that was quite an experience," Brook said laughing while gently setting the two down onto the wet grass. Nami's lips twitched before looking around to check on the others. She saw Sanji sit a few feet away from the two boys. She also saw Zoro and Michelle leaning against one of the two trees on deck.

"Present and accounted for," Michelle tiredly responded, "Heh...look at the pretty stars..."

"Oi," Zoro muttered before waving his hand in front of the dizzy Michelle's face. At least both were safe.

"Ara, where's Robin?" Nami asked looking around.

"Right here Nami," Robin said while coming out of the infirmary carrying a bundle of blankets and towels. She than walked over and set two blankets on the ground and gave a towel to everyone on the lawn deck.

"Arigato Robin-san," Brook said while using the towel to fluff his afro. Robin gently smiled in return.

"Arigato Robin!" Usopp and Chopper said in thanks before using the towels to dry themselves. Robin merely placed the blanket on the ground in front of them before doing the same for Zoro, Michelle, and Sanji.

"Your so considerate Robin-chwan!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

"Love-cook," Zoro muttered while rubbing his head. Michelle just stayed silent, the towel obscuring her face. Everyone moved to sit on the blankets, no longer worrying about the wet ground beneath them.

"Arigato Robin," Nami said as Robin reached down and handed a towel to Nami before handing one to Franky.

"Arigato," he muttered before trying to dry his outrageous blue hair. Robin merely smiled before going to lean against the rail near the helm. Nami looked around confused for a second. Franky did the same, "It feels like someone's missing..."

"I believe we are missing two people," Robin replied gently referring to the two boys that weren't among the others.

"Where's Ace-kun and Luffy-san," Michelle asked while jumping up and turning around in circles on the deck trying to spot them. She suddenly seemed to tilt to the side while chuckling, "Hehe...I'm dizzy..."

"Than stop spinning," Zoro said while pushing her back down on the blanket, where she landed with a small thump.

"H-haai," Michelle muttered softly, "Look at all the pretty stars hehe..."

"Eh? Stars?" Usopp muttered, "I think she needs another look Chopper."

"H-Hai," Chopper said before trotting over to the small girl who's eyes were spinning round and round and round.

"Oi, shouldn't we be worried about those two?" Franky asked with worry evident in his tone.

"Nah, I'm sure their fine," Sanji said while walking over towards Nami, "Are you alright, Nami-swan?"

"Hai, hai."

"Wow, you concern is so touching."

"Eh?" Sanji replied while turning around to see a soaking wet Ace holding a tired Luffy.

"Your mean Sanji!" Luffy yelled from Ace's arms and sticking out his tongue.

"Brat," Sanji muttered, his right eye twitching in annoyance. Although most of the crew could tell he was relieved that the two were okay.

"Ace-kun, Luffy-san! You're okay!" Michelle yelled while jumping up and laughing.

"Yup. Although it wasn't very fun."

"Aa, I hate rainstorms," Luffy muttered while slowly getting out of Ace's arms before sitting down and wincing. Chopper quickly noticed the movement, and also smelled Luffy's blood.

"Oi Luffy, did you get hurt?" Chopper asked while quickly running over to the small boy.

"No, I'm perfectly fine!" Luffy yelled while crossing his arms before wincing again at the movement. Everyone stared at him before one thought crossed their minds, _Liar!_ Ace sighed before sitting down beside Luffy.

"Tell the truth Lu," Ace muttered while gently tapping Luffy's head with his fist. Luffy rubbed his head before pouting and mumbling to himself. During his mumbling Robin had walked down the stairs and handed some towels to the two and put a blanket down. Ace murmured his thanks before gently dragging Luffy onto the blanket. Finally stopping his mumbling, he looked back towards Chopper before smiling widely.

"I'm not that hurt. All that happened is that I got grazed by a sword!"

"Liar, you got completely run through," Ace said correcting Luffy's pathetic attempts at lying and knocking the boy on the head.

"Nani? Luffy are you alright?" Nami asked walking up towards the boy. Luffy seemed to ignore her before twisting his head around, he than jumped up and looked around confusing all the people there.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Usopp asked while watching their Captain walk this way and that all around the deck with a confused look on his face. It than quickly turned to one of panic.

"I think I lost my hat..." Luffy muttered while his mouth twitched. His face than took on the look of the saddest child on the planet. Everyone there had one thought going through their minds, _Awww..._ A sudden meow next to the boy drew his attention to the cat sitting beside him. Kayla was purring loudly while tightly clutched in her mouth was a worn and tattered straw-hat.

"Ah, my hat!" Luffy yelled while hugging the kitten, "Arigato!" He than gently took the hat and placed it firmly on his head before hugging the kitten again. The kitten than started meowing.

"She said she found it next to the stairs over there," Chopper said while pointing towards a staircase leading to the aquarium bar. The door was swinging gently as if it was recently pushed open.

"More importantly, how did you guys escape the storm?" Sanji asked while looking at Ace to answer his question, since Luffy was currently distracted with hugging the small kitten. Ace scratched the back of his head while laughing.

"Very carefully," he responded before recounting the twos' events to the rest of the crew.

**x**

**o**

_Ace stared at the coming wave in front of them. As if things weren't bad enough...Now they head to escape a 80 foot wave. Ace quickly looked at Luffy, who mumbled something in his sleep before weakly opening his eyes. He glanced around before meeting Ace's gaze. _

"_I'm hungry," Luffy mumbled while rubbing his eyes. Ace chuckled at the familiar behavior of his younger brother. _

"_Than how about we get you something to eat as soon as we get on the Sunny," Ace responded smiling as the younger D's face lit up at the thought._

"_Hai! Arigatou!" Luffy yelled before hugging Ace tightly. For such a small kid he gave death-grip hugs. Ace chuckled again before hugging the boy back. He looked back at the wave before increasing his flame-power even more. No matter what happened, he had to make sure Luffy would be alright._

"_Hold on tight little bro," Ace muttered while staring at the storm. He quickly summed up the difference between them and the small round porthole. Using the last of his power he summoned the strongest flames he could and propelled the striker forward right through the dock entrance. As soon as the striker had made it in, the huge wave slammed into them._

_The whole dock was filled with water while Ace was quickly thrown off of the striker and slammed into the wall behind them. He was tightly clutching Luffy, making sure no harm came to the boy while the wave rocked the ship. A few seconds after enduring the rough waters, the wave was quickly threatened to drag them under, but before it could, the Coup de Burst activated and propelled the ship forward at startling speeds. Only one problem, Luffy and Ace were thrown out the side of the open dock..._

_As the ship launched forward the water drained off the side and back into the sea, the water swept the two boys out towards the side of the ship. Ace coughed up water before quickly grabbing the side with one hand, and holding Luffy with the other. Struggling at the task of holding on while the ship was flying, Ace slowly tried to pull the two up. He was able to sling one arm around the side before feeling the rest of his strength slowly draining._

_Finally, he couldn't do anything...He had fought off Smoker, and the rest of the marines, used almost every fighting move he knew, and now he had to hang on to the side of a flying ship. Now normally, it wouldn't cause Ace the slightest fatigue. But he currently had the body of a ten-year-old, meaning he couldn't handle any more._

_Just as he felt himself slip into another one of his narcoleptic fits, his hand slipped from the dock. He and Luffy quickly plunged downwards, at least, that's what was supposed to happen. But as soon as Ace's hand had let go, something strange happened. It felt as if time had slowed down. Ace struggled to keep his eyes open as the scenery around him became black, and everything faded away, '_W-What...is going on,' _Ace slowly thought before a warm feeling filled him._

"Don't be afraid little ones. Your time, is not yet to come. Fear not, for the struggles ahead of you, are nothing in the face of a family."_ The warm gentle voice filled their heads before Ace quickly felt himself being pulled up. He felt no more as he finally slipped into sleep._

_Luffy jumped up as soon as he felt the two of them hit water. He glance around only to realize that they were inside dock 4 on the Sunny. After struggling to sit up, he realized the pool was only a couple inches deep. Letting out a relieved sigh he looked over to see Ace face-forward in the water. Freaking out he quickly dragging his brother up onto the wooden deck behind them before he drowned. As soon as the two were safe from the threat of drowning, Luffy collapsed beside his brother panting heavily. He looked over at his sleeping brother before smiling widely and laughing._

_The loud laughter of the small boy quickly woke up Ace. The older D blinked his eyes before struggling to his knees. Seeing the young boy laughing, Ace couldn't help but do the same. The two were on their backs, roaring with laughter, before it quickly subsided into giggles._

"_Let's never do something like that again, agreed?" Ace asked while rolling over on his stomach to face Luffy._

"_Agreed," Luffy panted while laying on his back and looking up to see Ace. Both smiled widely. Ace wondered if Luffy had heard that voice too...but he decided to ask later, once they got his wound taken care of._

"_Better go see if the others are okay too," Ace said while glancing up towards the deck. Luffy made a noise in agreement before trying to move. Watching the boys pathetic attempts Ace sighed and smiled before quickly getting up and gently picking the boy up. Luffy didn't even try to fight, and instead put his arms around Ace's neck before sighing in content. Chuckling Ace walked towards the stairs in the back of the ship._

_After climbing the stairs and arriving in the Energy Room, he glanced around to see empty cola barrels everywhere. He glanced towards the door when he started to hear faint voices._

"_Where's Ace-kun and Luffy-san?" Ace heard Michelle ask. He chuckled at the concern in her voice. She always was concerned about all people she met. He followed a path and opened a door where he than found himself in the Aquarium Bar. Glancing around at the multi-colored fish swimming in the tank, Ace followed the sound of the voices he was hearing._

"_Oi, shouldn't we be worried about those two?" Ace heard Franky say. He assumed he meant him and Luffy. He followed the sound of the voice till he saw a door in front of him. He quietly opened the door before glancing around and seeing everyone standing on the lower or upper deck. He saw Sanji walking towards Nami before saying something._

"_Nah, I'm sure their fine,"_ _Sanji said. Ace sighed as he saw the touching concern some of the others were showing. He walked up to Nami before continuing speaking, "Are you alright, Nami-swan?"_

"_Hai, hai," Ace heard Nami reply in a off hand voice before spotting Ace and Luffy. _

"_Wow, you concern is so touching," Ace said as he walked up to Sanji while he felt Luffy stir in his arms._

"_You're mean Sanji!" Luffy cried while sticking his tongue out. Ace chuckled figuring Luffy had heard what the others were saying too. Sanji looked a little surprised, but Ace could also tell he was relieved to see the two were alright, although the cook would never admit it._

_**x**_

"So you guys just barely made it!" Nami exclaimed while watching Luffy still hugging Kayla who was purring loudly.

"Oi Luffy! Let me look at your wound! If you got stabbed than it's a big deal!" Chopper said while walking up to Luffy.

"Yada! I'm perfectly fine," Luffy said sticking his tongue out at the small reindeer.

"Luffy!" Chopper said while trying to tackle the boy to the ground. Luffy dodged the attack though and started running around while successfully avoiding Chopper. He started laughing after Chopper skidded on the ground after missing Luffy again.

"How does someone get run through with a sword and still have that much stamina?" Usopp asked while watching the bundle of energy that was Luffy.

"It's Luffy, are you really that surprised?" Nami asked also watching him. Ace chuckled at the response agreeing with the two. Luffy really could be hyper.

"Haha! You'll never catch me!" Luffy yelled while running behind Ace again. Chopper paused and bent over, panting heavily while Luffy grinned.

"Oi Luffy, just let Chopper look at the wound," Ace said while smiling a little bit, but worry was still clearly shown in his eyes.

"No way!" Ace let out a almost non-existent sigh before gently pushing Luffy's hat off his head. The young boy didn't even notice and continued his reasoning, 'I'm perfectly-" Luffy was stopped mid-sentence however, as soon as Ace set his hand on Luffy's head and started gently running his hand through the boy's hair. Everyone watched amazed as Luffy seemed to become dazed and sit down quietly in front of Ace yawning.

"What just happened?" Usopp asked while waving his head in front of Luffy's face, who seemed unfazed. Ace chuckled before answering.

"It's an old trick I used to get him to calm down. If you rub his head, he instantly gets sleepy," Ace replied laughing at the amazed expressions on everyone's faces while still gently running his hand through the dazed Luffy's hair.

"Hn, we really shouldn't be surprised, it is Luffy," Zoro muttered while leaning against the tree with all three swords safely tucked in his arms.

"Yohoho! Brotherly love is a wonderful thing!" Brook cried while spinning in circles, "It fills the heart with joy! Ah, although I have no heart. Skull Jo~ke!"

"Chopper-san, shouldn't you take a look at Luffy's wounds now?" Robin asked while Brook was slumped over in pain behind her. Everyone sweat-dropped, it took quite a lot to annoy Robin.

"H-Hai," Chopper responded before running over to Luffy. He grabbed his medical backpack before rummaging through it.

"Why not have Michelle help?" Ace suggested while trying to hide the smile that was creeping up on his face.

"Eh? Is she a doctor?" Chopper asked while pausing to look up at Ace.

"No!" Michelle shouted loudly, "I just know a bit about medical studies. A tiny bit!"

"A bit," Ace scoffed, "You've treated half the guys on the ship, plus you're always hanging out around the nurses, watching everything they do."

"But-"

"Why not try to help Michelle-chan," Robin said bending down to the girls level and smiling. Michelle seemed to be nervous before letting out a deep sigh.

"Fine..." she said giving in before carefully walking over to Luffy, careful not to trip over her clothes, which were still quite long. She than knelt down and looked at Ace, "Where did he get stabbed?"

"On his left side," Ace replied before carefully lifting up the boys shirt and pointing out the wound.

"Ah, I see you bandaged it," Chopper said before taking out some white linen bandages out of the bag.

"Aa, all I had was a old shirt of mine," Ace said scratching the back of his head.

"Did the sword completely pierce the body?" Michelle asked while gently feeling the area of the wound.

"Hai."

Michelle looked up surprised at the answer, "How was he still able to run around though?"

"It's Luffy. He has a lot of stamina," Chopper said chuckling while gently removing the strips of cloth and inspecting the wound. He seemed to smile before turning towards Michelle, "What do you thing Michelle-san? Do you think the sword hit any major organs?"

Michelle looked up surprised before gently feeling the area around the wound, "No. It seems like it just pierced the flesh. It grazed the bone so he wont be able to move around for a while, but it didn't hit any of the major organs thankfully."

Everyone looked at Michelle amazed she knew so much. Michelle seemed to feel their stares since she started blushing. She than glanced at Chopper, "Right?"

"Hai!" Chopper responded smiling, "We need warm water to wash the wound and some towels. We also need to give him a few stitches-" As soon as Chopper said this Luffy twitched and mumbled something. Everyone looked a little shocked. Ace let out a sigh before muttering, 'oh boy.'

"Stitches," Michelle said slowly while Luffy twitched again and tried to move away from Ace's grasp, but failed and just went back to his dazed expression.

"Ne Ace, does Luffy have-" Nami began, but her question was quickly finished by Ace.

"A fear of needles? Hai," Ace said with a exhausted expression on his face, "It's too be expected after all the times he's been to the doctor and have to had needles hooked up to him."

"H-How many times," Usopp asked warily. Ace than looked up before his left eye twitched.

"Well...there was the time he got bitten by a poisonous spider, fell off the cliff, when he was thrown into the forest by that crappy old man, when he fell into the ocean and got stabbed by poisonous urchin, and the time when he got bitten by that snake...5 times..." Ace trailed off while counting the events off on his fingers. He stopped when he saw everyone's startled expressions.

"How did you survive growing up with Luffy?" Zoro asked while leaning forward.

"Better yet, how did Luffy survive?" Sanji asked with the same shocked expression as Zoro and the others.

"Haha," Ace said while scratching the back of his head, "I developed a lot of patience at least. And Luffy developed his will to survive anything. Especially after dealing with Garp," he trailed off darkly.

"I'll say," Franky muttered before going to check on their position, "Oi Brook, help me unfurl the sails."

"Hai," Brook said before following after Franky.

"Sanji-san, can you get us some more towels and warm water?" Michelle asked politely while looking at the spinning cook with hearts in his eyes.

"Hai! Michelle-chwan!" Sanji cried before heading towards the kitchen. For some odd reason Zoro looked quite annoyed at this behavior, which Nami quickly noticed. Chuckling darkly, scaring Usopp who overheard her, Nami turned around and headed towards the girls room to get her camera. She was going to have a lot of blackmail evidence once everything was said and done.

"Usopp, can you go get my anesthetic in my medicine cabinet? Chopper asked while looking towards Usopp, "It's the brown bottle on the bottom shelf."

"Hai," Usopp said before following Sanji towards the kitchen area and than going straight to open the door to Chopper's medical room.

Meanwhile on deck, Chopper and Michelle were still trying to treat Luffy.

"Chopper-san, do you have a mixture that will make his blood cells re-spawn faster?" Michelle asked while shifting through Chopper's medical bag, "He lost quite a bit of blood..."

"Nothing that will work at his current age," Chopper responded while getting up, "I'll be right back, I have to get some supplies from my office. Go ahead and clean the wound," Chopper said while trotting off towards the medical ward, tripping on his way. Michelle seemed to go pale a little bit before muttering, 'H-H-Hai.'

Ace chuckled at the girl's attitude. Michelle looked up annoyed.

"It's not funny Ace-kun."

"Gomen," Ace chuckled while Sanji set down some water and towels beside Michelle.

"Arigato Sanji-san," Michelle replied while wetting the towel and gently scrubbing the area around the wound. She cleaned off the dried blood before looking at the wound.

"Ugh...not good," Michelle muttered, "He really will need stitches," another twitch, "for sure. Let's see, judging on the way the sword hit him and the length, I'd say about 8 stitches on each side." A distinct muttering from Luffy made everyone look at him. Ace chuckled before gently patting his head.

"Calm down Lu, it's not gonna hurt a bit," as soon as Ace spoke, Luffy instantly seemed to calm down and yawn.

"H-Hai..." Luffy mumbled. Michelle seemed to be looking at the two brothers oddly before Chopper and Usopp came stumbling out, their arms full of supplies.

"Got everything!" Chopper said making a small pile beside Michelle, "Michelle-san, do you know how to give someone stitches-" twitch.

"Umm..well..."

"She does," Ace said while smiling widely.

"Ace-kun!"

"Just trying to help," Ace chuckled before looking away. Chopper was searching for the correct thread and needle.

"Ah, Chopper-san. Use this, there not as strong but their dissolvable, which means it will be easier for Luffy-san this way," Michelle said while reaching Chopper a small white box full of medical thread.

"Hai, arigatou," Chopper said while threading the needle, "Can you apply the anesthetic?"

"Hai," Michelle said before opening the bottle Usopp handed her, "Arigatou." As Usopp went off to help Franky and Brook get the Sunny back on course, Michelle pulled out a needle, making sure to hide it from Luffy, before sticking it into the bottle and slowly extracting the right amount.

"Ace-kun, about how much would you say Luffy currently weighs?"

"At around this age, I would say roughly around 18 kg," Ace said with no doubt or hesitation. Michelle seemed to be a little shocked.

"That is... very specific."

"Heh..." Ace scratched the back of his head while Michelle sighed and quickly put the right amount of anesthetic in the needle. She than felt around Luffy's wound area.

"Alright, there can't be any major organs in the way, otherwise it could be deadly. Veins isn't a good option in his current condition. So, right around," Michelle muttered to herself while gently inserting the needle near the wound area, "Here!" Luffy seemed to twitch for a second before settling down. "I also want to use some swab alcohol anesthetic," Michelle muttered before pulling out another bottle from the pile Chopper brought out.

After swabbing the area around the wound with a light cloth, Michelle felt the area, "There. He won't feel any pain now," She said smiling.

"Good," Chopper said while finishing tying the needle, "Would you like to do the stitching?"

"I-I think I-I'll pass..." Michelle stuttered before slowly backing away and hiding behind Zoro, who was rudely awoken from his nap. Normally he would go off on whoever woke him. But seeing the scared look on the girls face, he just ignored it and tried to fall back asleep.

"She's afraid of watching skin get sewn up," Ace chuckled while watching Michelle, who was grasping Zoro's shirt. It was quite cute since she was only around 3 years old right now. Kayla padded over, jumping on Michelle's shoulder and meowing, watching everything that was going on.

"Urusai Ace-kun!" Michelle yelled at the laughing Ace. Chopper chuckled before starting to sew up the boys wound. Luffy seemed to be sleeping while sitting upright since Ace was still gently rubbing his head. If he was a cat, Luffy would be purring. Ace chuckled at the boys behavior while watching Chopper carefully sew the skin back together. He than adjusted his position to where he was sewing the exit wound of the sword.

A few minutes later a dull _snip_ was heard before Chopper stood up, "There! I'm done!" Luffy seemed to hear this before mumbling something. Ace stopped his petting of Luffy's hair before Luffy seemed to blink before looking around, "Are you okay Luffy?"

"Sanji! Meat!"

"He's fine," Ace and Chopper said at the same time.

"Hai hai, it will be done in a second," Sanji yelled from the kitchen where distinct noises of cooking could be heard. Robin was sitting in the dinning area, ready to help Sanji if need be. She was smiling gently while keeping an eye on everyone and reading an old book at the same time.

"Aww, you two look so cute," Nami said, materializing behind Zoro and Michelle, before quickly snapping a picture of Michelle clutching Zoro's shirt. Both kids quickly blushed before backing away. Nami chuckled darkly before walking away.

"Well, aren't you all lively?" a voice asked from above them. It seemed to echo around the ship.

"You!" Zoro shouted grabbing his swords. The others came running out to see what had happened. Usopp grabbed his slingshot, Nami her Clima Tact, and Kayla was hissing and spitting at the figure floating above them. Ace stepped in front of Luffy while Chopper was in Walk Point.

"What are you doing here?" Michelle asked with disgust and scorn evident in her voice, "Tara!-san"

"Haha! Just protocol Michelle-nee-chan! Still polite as ever I see though," Tara laughed while floating above them and chuckling. Her long pink pigtails were gently swaying in the wind.


	11. The Games Begin!

_**Chapter 10~And so the Game has Begin...**_

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

"_What are you doing here?" Michelle asked with disgust and scorn evident in her voice, "Tara-san!"_

"_Haha! Just protocol Michelle-nee-chan! Still polite as ever I see though," Tara laughed while floating above them and chuckling. Her long pink pigtails were gently swaying in the wind._

_**X**_

"Come to pick a fight?" Zoro asked smiling wickedly while slowly unsheathing a section of his sword. Tara looked at him with a twitch above her eye.  
"No I'm not seaweed-for-brains. I'm here to explain the game you are participating in, and how everything works," Tara replied angrily while Sanji snicked at Zoro's new nickname. Zoro blushed a light pink while looking irritated.

"And what game are you referring too?" Robin asked in a, what appeared to be, polite tone, but the others could tell she was about to destroy this little girl. The flames behind her may have been some indication of her growing anger, since the young girl laughed nervously before continuing.

"Alright, ahem. Congratulations, your crew has been selected to compete in a special game. You will have to make life and death choices, travel half-way across the seas, and beat my tests, otherwise...you stay as children forever..."

"**NANI!"**

Everyone on the ship stared at the little girl in anger or shock. There was a chance they would be stuck like this...forever?

"I-I'd rather not be in the Grand Line as children," Usopp stuttered with Chopper nodding furiously beside him. Nami and Robin were both smiling gently and staring at the girl, yet anger was radiating off of them.

"Is there any way to refuse this game?" Nami asked politely while everyone close to her shivered.

"Nope," Tara said smiling. Michelle walked forward slowly and tugged on Tara's skirt edge. Tara looked down in surprise before bending to the girl's level, "What is it Michelle-nee-chan?"

"I'm not gonna let you have your way any more Tara. None of you..." Michelle muttered while her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Sorry Michelle-nee-chan, you have no choice in the matter any more. You gave up that right long ago, remember?" Tara asked while intently staring at the little girl. Michelle clenched her fists tightly while unshed tears glazed over pain-filled eyes.

"I remember perfectly. And I'm gonna make sure they don't suffer like the others!"

"What are you talking about?" Franky asked while Brook stood behind him.

"Listen Mina! This test is a trap, to beat it you have to-" Michelle began to shout to the others, but was quickly stopped.

"Mind Suppress," Tara whispered as a dazed look came over Michelle. Zoro was ready to run and attack but, it was surprisingly Sanji who held him back.

"Hold on Marimo," Sanji whispered, "I wanna protect the others too, but we don't know what her powers are. So cool it and wait." Zoro reluctantly sheathed his sword before relaxing his stance and standing beside Sanji. The cook was right, they didn't know what they were up against yet.

"Ara...who are you?" Michelle asked while looking at Tara. The others went wide-eyed and stared in shock at the young girl.

"My names Tara," Tara said smiling, a glint shimmered in her amethyst eyes, for just a second, before she did anything to Michelle, her iris' were gone...

"What did you do to her?" Ace yelled, his fist turning into flames, Luffy glaring from behind him.

"Ah-ah Ace-san. If you use your powers too much, you'll get weak," Tara said, and as if on cue, Ace slowly sank to the ground while exhaustion came over his features. Luffy ran up beside Ace.

"Ace! Are you okay?" Luffy asked worryingly while shaking Ace side-to-side.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. As long as he doesn't overuse his powers," Tara said while skipping backwards and jumping up on the railing before sitting down and smiling, "Now. I've got some rules to explain to you."

"Why should we listen to your stupid rules?" Franky half-yelled while about to charge forward. He was, thankfully, held back by Brook though.

"Because, if you don't follow the rules, you can get hurt. And don't go blaming me if you do," Tara said while sticking her tongue out at Franky who started muttering a few choice words and brat over and over, "Now, as I was saying. First of all, your devil fruit powers are mostly unaffected."

"What do you mean by mostly," Brook asked while everyone stared at the young girl. The girl smiled widely.

"Glad you asked. Your powers are as strong as they were when you were this age in your lifetime. Brook-san, your unaffected since my powers can't change someone whose mostly dead," Tara said as she slightly sweat-dropped, "The only thing that changed was your height...I think..."

"_Think?_" Usopp asked worryingly.

"Aaaanyways... Next. Usually, devil fruit users can't swim, but Ace-kun can-"

"What do you mean?" Nami asked while glancing at Ace before resuming her staring at the pink-haired girl, who was laughing softly.

"I mean, since Ace-kun ate his devil fruit after his current age, than it caused my powers to slightly be affected. His age was changed, but he kept his devil fruit powers, and has the ability to swim. A rare thing indeed.."

"So that's why I was able to get to the surface when that wave pulled us under!" Ace exclaimed while sitting up.

"Hai. Quite lucky in your case," Tara said smiling, "Next, your current ages may affect your behavior-"

"May affect-"

"-our behavior?" both Zoro and Sanji looked at each other before staring to argue, they were about to get into yet another fight again, until Franky bent over and pulled them apart, feet lifted off the ground.

"Continue," Franky said addressing Tara while trying to keep the two apart. Tara giggled before continuing.

"Since your ages have changed, that means that you will sometimes have behavioral lapses. That means that sometimes, you may act like your current age," Tara said while fixing everyone with a stare, "This may have already happened to some of you..." Nami and Sanji looked like an idea just struck them. Ace looked thoughtful at the information. All three were remembering their small behavioral lapses.

Tara smiled as she saw the look on some of their faces. She looked down when she felt another small tug on her skirt. Michelle was staring up at her, looking quite bashful, "Hai?" Tara asked looking at the young girl.

"You said we have to face tests? What do you mean by that?" Michelle asked while looking to the floorboards. Tara smiled widely before answering. No one liked the smile she was wearing.

"Don't worry. You don't have to think about that till tomorrow. Until then, get used to your bodies, and try not to kill each other before than," Tara said, addressing the last part of her instructions to Sanji and Zoro, who were still bickering. Franky sighed before knocking their heads together like in a cartoon.

"Now's not the time to fight!" he said while the two clutched their heads in pain. Nami sighed before looking back at Tara, only to find-

"Nani? Where'd she go?" Nami asked while looking around. She was no where to be found, it looked as if she had just vanished.

"_Till tomorrow, remember to have fun."_ A chilling voice said, just as they had first heard on the Sunny, what seemed like days ago, but was actually less than an hour. The chilling voice seemed to have more of a childish tone, and was laughing as it faded out.

"You all heard that too, right?" Usopp said while shaking slightly. Kayla meowed in agreement while pacing back and forth beside Michelle.

"H-Hai," Chopper and Nami stuttered, freaked out by the creepy voice. Franky dropped the two boys onto the deck before heading towards the anchor.

"Guess the only thing to do is drop anchor and wait till tomorrow," Franky muttered while Brook followed.

"Ah, I'll help you Franky-san."

"Arigatou," Franky muttered as the two walked towards the anchor. Nami started mumbling to herself before looking at them all and smiling.

"N-Nami...what are you planning?" Usopp asked while looking at the smiling girl. Nami looked up surprised before smiling and answering.

"Just gonna go make us some clothes that fit," Nami said chuckling darkly, causing Usopp and Chopper to shiver. Michelle walked up to Nami careful not to trip over her clothing. She had a light pink blush on her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Mind if I help?" Michelle asked clutching Nami's shorts and staring at the floor. Kayla meowed softly and sat behind the small girl. Nami gently smiled before bending down to the girl's level and gently patting her head.

"Of course you can, I'll teach you how to be an expert sewer!" Nami said, a unreadable expression on her face...whatever it was though, it caused Usopp and Chopper to shutter and hide behind Zoro and Sanji. Michelle, on the other hand, smiled and Kayla meowed before padding away softly.

"Well, guess I'll go finish making dinner," Sanji muttered before standing up and brushing himself off, he quickly looked at Chopper as a thought stuck him, "Ah, by the way, Chopper, can I have my cigarettes back?" Chopper looked up surprised at Sanji.

"No way! You're not smoking!" Chopper exclaimed before jumping up.

"Come on, just one!" Sanji begged, a whine barely noticeable in his voice, but enough to alert a few of the members to an oncoming behavior change if things continued. Chopper just ran into the kitchen, everyone stared at him as he came back a few seconds later and than went to the guys room. He was holding his hat to his chest. Sanji's eyes than widened.

"You didn't..." he muttered staring at the determined Chopper. Chopper stood resolute before trotting over to the railing.

"Sorry Sanji. But as doctor of this ship, I can't let you smoke!" Chopper exclaimed before dumping his hat upside down. Packs of cigarettes fell out and dropped into the ocean. Sanji twitched while staring at the small reindeer. Zoro snickered behind him, while Ace and Luffy had a hard time controlling their laughter, they were holding it in best as they could.

The others quickly noticed the cook was close to lapsing into a behavioral change. Robin was the first to notice and quickly intervened.

"Cook-san, do you need help cooking dinner?" Robin asked sweetly while resting her head in her hand and looking at the cook. Sanji looked up surprised before his usual behavior took over.

"Ah, it's okay Robin-_chwan_, I'm perfectly fine!" Sanji said, hearts for eyes, spinning off towards the kitchen. Robin chuckled softly before following. Ace smirked at the two retreating figures as Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro started cracking up in laughter, '_Leave it to Robin-san to be able to spot the change in Sanji so fast,'_ Ace thought to himself while rubbing his eyes. He used his firepower to much today, and now he was really tired.

He glanced around to see what everyone was doing. Franky and Brook had come back, and Franky was talking with Usopp about making different kinds of weapons they could use and make for the others in their current state. He than glanced over to Brook to see him goofing off with Chopper. Zoro, he noticed, was watching the two with a small smirk on his features. Ace than turned around when he heard foot-steps coming down a staircase and saw Michelle and Nami carrying a small wooden box, and a lot of fabric. '_It's too quiet...' _Ace thought to himself, '_Where's Luffy?'_ He quickly looked around, starting to panic, '_what if he fell into the sea,'_ only to see Luffy was still sitting beside him, Kayla was purring in his lap while the boy laughed.

Ace smirked at the sight and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, as he started to hear a gentle tune fill the air. He glanced over to see Brook was expertly playing his violin. He got up slowly before walking towards the tree behind him. The wooden swing was swaying gently in the breeze, the lawn deck had been dried out, thanks to the powerful rays of the Sun shinning down on the deck. He sat down and leaned against the trunk.

He saw Usopp and Franky head down towards the workshops, he saw they both had relaxed, peaceful expressions on their faces. He heard a gentle _sizzling_ coming from the kitchen, along with the occasional turn or ruffle of a page. He looked up to see both Nami and Michelle were sewing with needles, and both had gentle smiles on their faces, and were laughing and talking quietly, so as not to disturb the others. He looked over at Chopper to see the young reindeer yawn widely while a look of admiration was on his face.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Zoro had moved and was now sleeping against the mast. He chuckled softly when he saw Chopper slowly trudge over and lean against the sleeping swordsman, who seemed to not notice and slept on. Ace looked down slightly surprised when he felt a gentle movement at his sides. He looked down to see Luffy was snuggling against him and trying to find a comfortable position while Kayla meowed softly and layed in the younger D's lap.

After Luffy finally settled down he leaned his head on Ace's shoulder before yawning and drifting into sleep while the melody played around him. Ace smiled and adjusted his position to where and arm was around the rubber boy before gently closing his eyes and listening all around him.

The soft melody that was gently coming from Brook's violin was peaceful and relaxing. Gentle snores could be heard in the background, along with the occasional giggle and _snip_ of thread. The smells of the cooking dinner Sanji was making seemed to gently float around the ship enticing everyone who smelled the wonderful aroma. Ace opened his eyes one more time and glanced around, '_Everyone here is so close, just like the oldest of friends...no...like a family_...' And with these final thoughts, Ace drifted off into sleep, carefully listening to the small, even breathing beside him.

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

A dull ringing vibrated around the ship. _Ding, ding, ding!_ Luffy gently opened his eyes before trying to collect his thoughts...but the bell was too distracting to concentrate-...wait...bell...that meant-

"FOOD!" Luffy yelled jumping up, startling Kayla, who jumped up with a loud meow and fell on Ace's lap waking him up with a jolt. Chopper jumped up as soon as he heard Kayla's meow, disorientated he tripped over his pants and fell face-first on the ground. The sudden shift from Zoro's side had caused his swords to fall backwards from their precarious position, hitting him on the head, and waking him up too! Luffy laughed loudly as he ran towards the kitchen, groaning and complaining from the boys behind him unheard.

"He always does that," Zoro muttered while standing up and walking towards the boys room to put his swords up safely, and away from the dangers of Luffy. Ace walked beside him and stretched a bit before a dull _crack_ was heard.

"You get use to it, eventually..." Ace muttered back while chuckling. He yawned before following Luffy's shouts. Zoro chuckled darkly before turning and heading towards the boys room. Ace heard Chopper run up beside him with Kayla resting on top of his large hat. He also heard Brook's quiet tapping footsteps behind them. Kayla suddenly meowed something in a somewhat amused tone in Ace's opinion before Chopper translated.

"She said 'He's quite the excitable one, isn't he?'" Ace chuckled before muttering in a low voice, "You have no idea." He looked up to see Luffy complaining as Sanji held the rubber boy back with his foot.

"Come on, I'm hun~gry!"

"For the last time Luffy, ladies first," Sanji said, a twitch starting to form around his right eye. Luffy groaned again before Sanji sighed. It would be a lot easier if he had his cigarettes, but noo~, Chopper took them all and threw them into the ocean.

Ace chuckled at the sight of the two bickering as Nami and Michelle walked past him, the latter yawing tiredly, she too had taken a _cat-_nap. Get it, cat, Kayla...get it? No? Okay, disregard than..heh...

"Arigato Sanji-kun," Nami said smiling while walking into the dinning room. Michelle followed shyly behind her before politely turning to Sanji and muttering her thanks. Sanji, hearts for eyes, proclaimed it was no trouble at all, and followed them in mellorine mode. Luffy zoomed through the door as soon as Sanji was distracted. Chopper soon followed him, Kayla jumping down and running towards Michelle.

Next to enter was Franky and Usopp who had come up from their workshops when they had heard the bell, and the thumps of everyone waking up. They were talking about some projects they were working on in the shop. Ace smiled as the two walked in. He was one of the last ones to enter, with Brook right behind him. As soon as everyone was seated, Luffy began wolfing down food so fast, it would alarm anyone who didn't know him. Ace, who was sitting beside him, gently tapped him on the head.

"Oi Luffy, manners," Ace said staring at the boy whose mouth was currently bulging with food. Nami sighed tiredly before addressing Ace.

"Nice try Ace, but I don't think it will work. Luffy never shows manners-"

"Haaai," Luffy muttered as soon as he swallowed his food. He resumed his eating, but at a significantly slower pace, compared to his normal eating, which was still quite fast.

"How did you do that?" Usopp asked amazed while staring at Ace in awe. No one could control Luffy's hunger. Not even Zoro, who had been with Luffy the longest, could control his monstrous appetite.

"Eh? Do what?" Ace asked confused while swallowing a mouth full of food. The others stared at him for a few seconds before all thought the same thing, _they really are brothers_, "Ah Sanji, this is really good!" Ace said while taking another bite. Luffy quickly swallowed his mouth full of food before talking-further shocking the others.

"Isn't it! Sanji's the best cook ever!" Luffy said complimenting his chef while filling his mouth with more food. Robin gently smiled while eating her food. Michelle chuckled and everyone looked at her, she was gently laughing. She finally stopped and looked at Sanji.

"I hope you made enough food Sanji-san. You may be use to feeding one 'eating-machine' but how about two?" Michelle asked while smiling. Everyone looked confused till they quickly saw what she meant. Ace ate about as much food as Luffy, though with much better manners of course.

_**x**_

After a while, when most of the food was gone, food mysteriously started disappearing off the others plates. They all knew who had done it.

"Oi Luffy, I was eating that!" Usopp yelled as Luffy grabbed some food off Usopp's plate. Luffy laughed before speaking up.

"I have no idea what you mean," he said while looking towards the wall. Ace snickered at the boy's awful attempts at lying.

"Hey Ace, any chance of getting him to stop stealing food?" Zoro asked as more of his food disappeared off of his plate. He quickly looked up before shouting, "Luffy!"

"Heh...sorry mina, can't really help on that," Ace chuckled while Luffy used his rubber arms to steal the others' food.

"How come he never steals from you guys?" Usopp whined as he looked at the girls, who had no fear of their food being stolen from the rubber menace.

"Because," Nami replied, "Luffy knows if he steals from us, he's toast," Nami finished with the dark smile on her face directed at Luffy. Luffy shuttered before swallowing and laughing nervously. He had long learned not to steal from Nami and Robin, either Nami or Sanji would always beat him up for it, or sometimes both. And he knew better than to try and take Michelle's food. Than not only would Nami and Sanji attack him, but so would Zoro! Luffy shivered at the thought while everyone stared at the now quiet boy.

The boys quickly took this opportunity to scarf down their food, but the rubber hands were soon flying again. Now, no one was sure how, but pretty soon, food began to be thrown. Of course, when food starts flying around 7 and 8-year-olds. That means one thing...

"Food Fight!" Usopp yelled standing on his chair and aiming at Luffy, who quickly dodged the flying fish. It instead hit Zoro. Now usually Zoro would just say they were acting childish, but darn it...those behavioral lapses happen at the darnedest of times. Including now. Zoro scooped up some meat and aimed at Usopp, but his aim was off and it ended up hitting Sanji. Sanji, needing no excuse to attack Zoro, threw the food at him, now normally he would get angry at the waste of food, but he too, was in the middle of a behavioral lapse.

The sticky mess was dodged by Zoro and ended up hitting Franky instead. Soon, the whole dinning area was a battleground of flying food. Michelle was using her static to deflect any food thrown at her. Nami was hiding under the table, her anger starting to reach it's peak. Robin gently laughed as the food flew around. She had moved away from the battleground though, so she was relatively safe. Every time a stray mass of food came flying towards her she quickly used her powers to catch it on a plate and than give it to whoever was closest as more ammo.

Ace was participating in the food fight every now and than, he was mostly ducking though. All though every time someone hit Luffy, they quickly found themselves being hit by a flying mass of food from the flame-user, along with laughter from both brothers. Nami had finally hit her limit and started throwing the food around also, her inner child taking over. Franky was into it as much as the little ones, while Brook was sipping some tea in a corner, and dodging food every now and than like Robin.

Michelle finally started throwing food when Usopp's aim went off and hit her. She was too focused on blocking the D's attacks, she didn't concentrate on the others. She stood up, smiled, and picked up the stickiest food she could reach. She turned out to have excellent aim, as her targets were almost always hit. Laughter resounded throughout the dinning room as food kept flying. Finally, it started to come to an end when Nami started to get fed up with all their childish behavior and her behavior lapse was quickly ending. Nami sighed as she jumped down from the chair she was on and walked over to the corner and picked up pieces of her Clima Tact.

She than went back into the fray, and started twirling two of the poles while blue and red orbs came flying out. Usopp was the first to notice what she was doing.

"O-Oi Nami...what are you doing?" Usopp asked while Nami smiled devilishly.

"Thunderbolt Tempo," She said in a upbeat tone while a orb crackling with thunder was sent straight into the cloud above them. Most of them had finally noticed the cloud, and went pale. A quick flash of lightning and smell of singed clothing signaled the end of the attack. The smoke quickly cleared to show the others had now stopped their food fight. Nami sighed before looking at everyone.

Michelle had used her static to form a shield around her and Robin. The thunder had missed Luffy, since he was made of rubber. Nami smirked as she saw Luffy tightly clutching Ace so the thunder would avoid him too. She chuckled darkly before grabbing her camera from the corner and snapping a picture. She laughed thinking of the blackmail. She than looked around the room again...the others on the other hand weren't as lucky as Ace and Luffy...

"Itee..." Franky muttered while Usopp coughed up a cloud of ash. Zoro and Sanji were on the ground twitching, Zoro muttering witch, Sanji muttering mellorine. Brook was gently muttering '_Yohoho' _Nami sighed as she saw everyone was, essentially, alive. She than hopped up on the chair in front of her.

"Alright listen up! Me, Robin, Michelle, and Kayla are going to take a bath, since we're now sticky with this mess. You guys are going to clean this up. Than **YOUR** taking a bath!" Nami said clearly so everyone heard her. Within 5 seconds, Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro, were struck with fear at the word bath. This was mainly due to another behavioral lapse of the 5 boys.

Ace smiled politely while muttering his apologies, Franky decided to just accept his fate or something worse would happen, Brook thought the same and stayed silent. He knew when not to argue back.

"Come on Michelle, I even made you cute pajamas and you'll look so cute in them" Nami squealed with delight while the others shivered. Nami was acting drastically out of character. Michelle smiled shyly and followed Nami, her clothes were starting to trip her up again. Nami gently took her hand and guided her over the sticky floor while talking about all the clothes they had sewn up today. Ace chuckled quietly while Robin followed them out. Before she left, hands sprouted out from the closet, and brushes, brooms, and buckets were quickly laying beside the other boys. All of them groaned, they had a long night ahead of them.


	12. Hide and Seek, A Bet is Made!

**Chapter 11 ~ Hide and Seek plus the Troubling Bet**

**x**

**o**

**x**

"_Alright listen up! Me, Robin, Michelle, and Kayla are going to take a bath, than YOUR taking a bath!" _

_Before Robin left, hands sprouted out from the closet, and brushes, brooms, and buckets were quickly laying beside the other boys. All of them groaned, they had a long night ahead of them._

_x_

_o_

_x_

"Why do we have to clean up this mess too! Luffy was the one who started it!" Usopp declared angrily while trying to mop up a particularly sticky section of the wooden floor, he assumed it was spaghetti, which was currently a rainbow of colors.

"Nuh-uh!" Luffy replied loudly while scrubbing the wooden table they had eaten on, which was piled high with derbies of different kinds of foods, "Your the one who yelled Food Fight and threw the food at Zoro!"

"Oh yeah...wait...How'd you remember that! Luffy would never be smart enough to remember something like that! You're a clone!" Usopp yelled while hiding behind Zoro for protection. Luffy stuck out his tongue before going back to scrubbing the table while Franky sighed in frustration. At this rate, they would never get done.

"Yohoho, I'm sure Luffy-san isn't a clone Usopp-san," Brook said laughing his unique laughter and trying to comfort the boy also. Franky crossed his legs and leaned on his mop before speaking up.

"Well...he did come up with the idea of opening the dock system when he and Flame-boy were stuck riding beside us during that storm," Franky mumbled loud enough for Usopp to hear, further causing him paranoia.

"See! He really is a clone!" Usopp yelled while pointing at Luffy who looked up, before looking confused.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked tilting his head to the side in his classic confused manor while looking at Usopp, he had his arms crossed and his rag was sitting on the table in front of him.

"I'm talking about you actually being a robot clone sent to destroy us!" Usopp accused while stepping out from behind Zoro and pointing at Luffy. Chopper gasped from beside Franky.

"Luffy's a robot?" he asked in fear and excitement. Luffy looked confused for a second before he slammed his fist into his hand and had a look on his face that said 'isn't is obvious'.

"That means I can shoot lasers, right?" Luffy said in his obvious tone before jumping up and assuming his thinking look, "But how do I use them...ah...I know!

"Gomu Gomu no...**LASER!**" Luffy held out his fist expecting a laser beam to shoot out, when nothing happened he pursed his lips, tilted his head to the side, and looked disappointed, "This is hard...My brain hurts!" Luffy yelled in frustration before plopping himself back on top of the table before rapidly jumping back up at the cold water and slipping off, causing him to fall onto the floor yelling, "Ah! It's wet!"

"_Still_ think he's a clone?" Zoro asked in a sarcastic tone, a amused look on his face to match, while mopping a section of the floor. Usopp, Chopper and Franky all looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding their heads in agreement of something.

"Nope!" they all said with thumbs-up signs. Luffy was still complaining about the wet table while a soft chuckle could be heard coming from the kitchen. Brook was also laughing while scrubbing a section of the wall.

"Just keep cleaning you idiots," Sanji muttered to the others while collecting all the dishes scattered around the room. He was currently holding a large stack in his hands while Ace was in the kitchen washing the dishes before setting them on the rack to dry. Luffy sighed heavily before throwing his rag in the bucket beside him, squeezing the water out, climbing back onto the table, and scrubbing _even harder_ than before. Luffy quickly started muttering to himself in a voice so low, no one could hear what he was saying, well...almost no one.

"Language Luffy!" Ace yelled from the kitchen startling the young boy and causing him to slip, and once again, fall off the table and land on the floor, much to his irritation, and the others amusement. He bounced back, as is his rubbery nature, while hearing chuckles from a few of the others. He shook his head before quickly jumping up and yelling back to Ace.

"How can you even hear what I said?" Luffy yelled and asked in confusion while the others started wondering what Luffy _**had**_ been saying.

"Maybe he is a clone..." Usopp muttered softly to himself while Chopper and Franky nodded their heads in agreement.

"Cause, I'm your Nii-chan," Ace responded while smiling a smile the others couldn't see, but could hear in the tone of his voice. Zoro and Sanji smirked before going back to work while Usopp and Chopper sighed in confusion before discussing the signs of a clone, whereas Brook and Franky were trying to hurry and clean the kitchen so Nami and the others didn't get mad at them, you do not want to deal with a angry Nami _-shudder-_ not at all..

"That's not a very good reason," Luffy muttered so low so as Ace wouldn't be able to hear him. The others could barely hear him themselves. They smirked as he climbed back onto the table again, carefully balancing himself on a chair.

"Yes it is!" Ace yelled, responding to Luffy's _supposed_ incoherent mumblings. Luffy looked like he was about to fight back, but sighed in defeat before going back to scrubbing the stained table.

"Let's just get this place cleaned up, I don't want to have to deal with a angry Nami," Franky said before shivering while scrubbing the wall in front of him even harder. Brook and Chopper shuddered in agreement.

"I agree with Franky," Chopper mumbled while struggling to pull a bucket full of soapy water across the floor to Franky and Brook. The guys scrubbed even harder, but the food didn't seem to want to come off the floor, or the walls, or even the-

"How did it get on the ceiling?" Brook asked softly while staring up at the multi-colored mess that was the ceiling above them. The others looked up slowly at the filthy ceiling, dreading the sight. As they looked up a drop of food slowly dripped down and landed on the table Luffy was cleaning, resulting in a solid _plunk_. Everyone was silent for a few seconds while staring at the little drop.

"His fault!" both Luffy and Usopp exclaimed at the same time while pointing to each other and breaking the quiet silence. Sanji's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, as did Zoro's. Chopper just sighed heavily and carried the bucket over to Franky while trying not to trip over his pants. Ace chuckled softly from the kitchen while trying not to fall of the stepladder he was on. Brook meanwhile, attempted to balance himself on a chair while trying to clean the ceiling, as he was the tallest among the boys.

_x_

Eventually, about a good hour later to be precise, the kitchen was scrubbed spotless. The walls had a nice worn, yet homey look, the floor looked as if it had been polished, the table was scrubbed clean, and the ceiling looked perfect, as long as you didn't look to carefully and wonder about the odd colors that were sometimes scattered in different places.

All the boys were on the floor panting in pure exhaustion. Luffy had scrubbed the table, chairs, and even one of the walls, well half of the wall, since he couldn't reach the top. Franky had scrubbed the other walls and the one Luffy had tried to clean, Zoro and Sanji had scrubbed the floor clean, while Usopp, Chopper, and Ace had cleaned all the dishes. Usopp had been put on kitchen duty after he had knocked over the soapy water bucket, causing most of them to slip and fall on the floor. Brook had even managed to clean the ceiling.

"Oh bo~ys!" a distant shout yelled, the sound coming from above them. It was than they remembered about the bath Nami had said they had to take, well, _commanded_ really. Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy all rolled over onto their stomachs and looked at each other for a few seconds in silence.

"Hide!" they all yelled at the same time while scrambling to find a place to hide before Nami could get them. Chopper ran towards the Infirmary, well...tripped, while Sanji ran into the kitchen. Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro ran outside and a frantic thumping was heard before it quickly faded. A couple of thuds were heard from Luffy, being the smallest, tripping over his clothes. Franky, Brook, and Ace just continued to lay on the floor in exhaustion. They knew better than to anger the orange-haired navigator any more than necessary. Ace finally managed to roll over and sit up before smirking.

"100 beli says Sanji's found first and Chopper's second," Ace said while looking at the other two. A small thump was heard from the kitchen. Ace chuckled figuring Sanji was protesting about being found first. Franky smirked widely before also sitting up and laughing.

"Your on, 100 beli says Zoro's first though," Franky said while lifting his sunglasses up and letting them rest on the top of his head. Brook also finally managed to sit up.

"Yohoho, Usopp-san will be first I believe," Brook spoke calmly while chuckling. The guys smirked before Ace went into the kitchen, a sound of a door opening was heard, a low muttering, and the door closing, before Ace came back with paper and pen.

"Make your bets," Ace said smirking while a _click_ was heard from the pen in his hand. Franky and Brook glanced at each other before smiling. The guys finalized their bets and list before the girls opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

"Wow, you guys did a really good job," Nami said in a amazed voice while looking around at the scrubbed-clean dinning room and kitchen.

"It's supa clean!" Franky said showing her a thumbs-up before Nami sighed, although she had a small smile on her face. The bath had really helped to relax her from this whole being-turned-into-a-child mess. She was wearing a gown she and Michelle has sewn earlier that day. It was a long, no-sleeve, light-orange gown that reached down to a little above the ankles. It was decorated with small, dark-orange tangerines with small leaves on the stem, in random positions and patterns. It also had a small white-laced trim on the hem of the gown.

Michelle walked in and stood a little behind her, as if trying to hide from the other guys. She shuffled nervously while glancing at the guys from behind Nami.

"Aw, they won't laugh Michelle-chan," Nami said in a sweet voice while pushing Michelle in front of her so the guys could see her outfit. Franky and Brook were starting to worry about Nami's _overly-nice_ behavior when she was with the girl. They than looked at Michelle's outfit, which was quite pretty. She was wearing a long, short-sleeve, ankle-length gown. It had a twilight-like color and had small lightning-blue streaks decorating the whole gown in patterns that made it look as if they were actually sparking when she move. It was finished off with a light purple lace that trailed all along the hem and sleeves of the gown.

"Wow, you guys look amazing," Ace complimented while smiling politely. Michelle blushed before slowly moving to the side and hiding behind Nami again while Nami just giggled and thanked him for the compliment while Robin walked in behind the girls and leaned against the door-frame.

"You look supa!" Franky said giving another thumbs-up, although he was sweating a little bit on his forehead. Ace and Brook were the only ones to notice and were trying not to laugh. Robin chuckled behind the two girls. She was wearing dark purple slacks that had small open and closed books splashed across the pants at random intervals. Her top was a light-purple camisole that had a picture of a purple rose on it in the bottom right corner, and hanged loosely around her frame. The straps had a white lace trimming them, while the bottom of the shirt had a dark-purple lace. She was wearing dark-purple slippers that were quite simple and plain and matched her outfit, as were the other girls. Only Nami's was a light-orange with a few light green vines, and Michelle's were black with small blue streaks of lightning.

"Hm, where are the others?" Nami asked noticing that the other guys were no where to be seen. She looked around the kitchen expecting to find them collapsed in a corner or something similar. All the guys looked at each other before smiling and looking back at Nami.

"Hiding!" Nami seemed to twitch as they said the answer she had been dreading. She than smiled before looking at the three, causing them to shudder from the 8-year-old's demonic aura

"Let's see if we can't find them than, shall we?" Nami said while stalking out of the kitchen and onto the deck. Michelle watched Nami before looking back at the guys smiling faces before guessing.

"You guys made bets didn't you?" she asked as the guys smiles widened. Robin chuckled behind her.

"Yup!" the guys confirmed before showing her the chart they had drawn up. Michelle looked at the list before biting her lip and doing something the shy girl would usually never do, surprising Ace the most.

"Where's the pen?" Michelle asked as a confused Franky handed her the blue pen they had used to write with. She took the paper and scribbled down names in a quick order and writing something under it, "How much are you guys betting?"

"100 beli each answer," Franky said while raising a eyebrow before Michelle smiled.

"Okay, here's how it goes. 100 beli to each person who had the right answer, from someone who had the wrong answer. So if say Ace-kun gets a guess right, and we don't, he earns 300 beli, 100 from each of us, if we all guess a name right, no one pays. Deal?"

"Deal!" they all exclaimed while smiling widely. Michelle took the paper and pen before walking up to Robin while Ace smiled from his spot on the floor, '_Looks like she's finally starting to be brave.'_

"Robin-san, can you keep score for us please?" Michelle asked while holding the two things out to her. Robin smiled before bending down and taking the paper and pen from her.

"Hai."

"Arigatou," Michelle said while smiling widely. Robin looked down at the list as the others went outside to find Nami, and to see if anyone had been found yet. She chuckled at the list and at who everyone thought would get found in what order. She smiled before following the four outside, careful to note that Sanji was already in the kitchen, and Chopper in the Infirmary. It was amusing to see what would happen next. Here is a idea of what the list looked like dear reader:

**Ace: Franky: Brook: Michelle:**

Sanji-1st place Zoro-1st place Usopp-1st place Sanji-1st place

Zoro-2nd place Sanji-2nd place Luffy-2nd place Chopper-2nd place

Chopper-3rd place Usopp-3rd place Sanji-3rd place Usopp-3rd place

Usopp-4th place Luffy-4th place Chopper-4th place Zoro-4th place

Luffy-5th place Chopper-5th place Zoro-5th place Luffy-5th place

"**GET YOUR BUTS OUT HERE YOU COWARDS!"** Nami's yell startled everyone who had just walked outside. Nami was clutching the railing while a twitch was forming above her eye. She did not want to have to deal with this...She smirked as a thought came to her. Ace looked a little uneasy as soon as he saw a smirk, he knew what was coming. He had seen that smirk on Marco quite a few times...

_x_

_o_

_x_

_'I want to see Nami's new gown soo bad!'_ Sanji yelled in his head as he struggled not to jump out of his hiding place to look. As much as he loved Nami, his behavioral lapse wouldn't let him get caught for bath time. He closed his eyes as he listened hard as he could, he would prove to Ace that he wouldn't get caught first.

_'Let's see...Franky and Ace are complimenting the girls...it should be me telling the how good they look...hmm Michelle-chwan seems to be partaking in the bet, I bet she doesn't think I'll be caught first!' _Sanji thought to himself while smiling widely. He gently cracked the door open just a peek, he glanced out to see if there was anyone still there. He saw Ace, Franky, Brook, and Michelle smiling while the latter was holding a piece of paper. He looked to the door to see Nami had left to look for them. Sighing in relief he was about to close the door when Robin caught his eye.

Sanji gulped, busted. But right before anything happened, Michelle walked up and asked Robin something before Robin bent down and took the paper and pen saying yes to whatever she asked. As the others left Robin smiled at Sanji before following the others outside. Sanji sighed in relief, it looked like Robin wasn't going to rat him out.

_'Arigatou Robin-chwan!'_ Sanji thought loudly, hoping Robin would somehow hear it through the _power of love_. Sanji left the door cracked so he could hear what was going on. He heard some talking and muttering before-

"**GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE YOU COWARDS!"** Sanji jumped in surprise and banged his head on the top of the cabinet he was hiding in before falling out and landing on the floor, clutching his head in pain. He slowly sat up before glancing at the door guiltily while still clutching his head. '_Gomen-nasai Nami-swan, but I can't allow myself to be found! Gomen!'_ Sanji yelled in he head while he bit his lip and tears streaked down his face.

"Oh Sanji-kun, could you please come here?" Sanji's eyes snapped open as he heard Nami call for him. Her tone had a cute, child-like voice that Sanji just couldn't ignore. He jumped up, forgetting his pain, and made a rush towards the door, hearts for eyes and spinning in circles. He thought he saw a streak of brown and red, but ignored it and kept going towards the door.

_**x**_

"HAI NAMI-SWAAAAN!" Sanji yelled loudly as he came spinning out of the kitchen in mellorine mode. He tripped on his long pants and skidded to a stop in front of Nami. When he looked up he saw Nami smiling demonically while holding a length of rope, "N-Nami-swan..." Sanji asked uncertainly while trying to get up.

"Gomen Sanji-kun, but you'll have to stay like this for a while," Nami said smiling while a dark aura rested behind her. Sanji sat in front of her, rope tied tightly around him, holding down his arms. And for extra measure she had tied his legs up too. Sanji looked betrayed for a split second before a grin quickly overcame his features.

"Hai Nami-swan!" Sanji said faithfully, not planning on moving an inch, lest he disappoint his precious Nami-_swan._ Ace tried not to laugh while Michelle smiled a little bit. Franky and Brook were laughing at Sanji's condition, but the blonde cook ignored the two as Robin looked at the list and announced the first scores. She smiled before announcing the results.

"200 beli to both Ace-kun and Michelle-chan," Robin announced smiling while Franky groaned and Brook laughed a little bit. Sanji looked a little betrayed as he looked at the nervous Michelle.

"You betted against me Michelle-chwan?" Michelle looked at Sanji's hurt look before feeling bad herself. She tried to think of something before Kayla jumped on her shoulders and meowed gently. Michelle smiled as an idea struck her.

"I thought you would be the first to be found, since your love for Nami-san was so strong, Sanji-san!" Michelle said, trying to come up with an excuse, while Sanji smiled and went into mellorine mode, mumbling about a river of love or something. Michelle sighed in relief as Ace chuckled into his hand. Michelle looked up, about to reprimand Ace and tell him it wasn't funny, but two coins dropped into her hand startling her.

"Arigato," Michelle said smiling sweetly at the depressed Franky, and the ever-calm Brook while Nami looked around for her next victim. She placed her hand under her chin before closing her eyes for a few seconds. Everyone watched as her eyes snapped open and she smiled in victory. Franky looked a little worried while Michelle shuffled her feet uneasily at Nami's expression. Ace was still wondering how a crew like Luffy's ever became nakama? They were vastly different... But...that was Luffy for you.

_x_

_o_

_x_

_I' hope no one finds me here...' _Chopper thought to himself as he tried to peek out of the window on the door to the Infirmary. He gave up and leaned against the door listening closely. The little reindeer didn't mind baths too much, but if he had a choice, he would rather remain dry. He listened intently as he heard some kind of bet being made, and a couple of noises from the kitchen. Chopper sniffed the air guessing it was most likely Sanji.

Chopper looked around the room before pushing a chair towards the door. He quickly climbed up it, slipping a few times, but finally managing to climb onto the seat. He stuck his arms out in front of him as he slowly stood up and balanced himself on his chair. He smiled widely as he finally manged. He looked through the window to see Nami walking out. He looked to see the guys plus Michelle on the floor. He also looked at the door-frame, until Robin caught his gaze.

Chopper quickly ducked down in his chair, the sudden movement caused the chair to slowly spin in a couple circles. He was so busted...He slowly climbed to his feet as the chair slowly stopped and looked out the window again. He caught Robin's gaze and became nervous. Robin smiled before bending down and talking to Michelle. Chopper sank into his chair in relief. Looked like Robin wouldn't tell on him. Chopper listened for another minute as he heard everyone leave the room. It was quiet except for an occasional noise from Sanji in the kitchen, than-

"**GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE YOU COWARDS!" **Chopper _eep_ed in surprise before slipping off his chair and falling to the floor. He groaned as he heard Sanji bang his head and fall onto the kitchen tiles. Chopper shook his head while trying to overcome his dizziness and stand up. No way was he going out there now, Nami would kill him for sure. He put his head to the door and listened for anything else. It was a few more seconds before he heard Nami speak again.

"Oh Sanji-kun, could you come here please?" Chopper looked up in surprise. Surely even Sanji wouldn't fall for that. Not even he was so bad as to fall for a trap like- Chopper wrenched open the door to see Sanji spinning towards the door.

"Wait, Sanji!" Chopper whispered as loud as he dared. The cook ignored him as he spun outside in pure bliss.

"HAAAAI NAMI-SWAAAN!" Chopper shook his head, a sign of mourn on his features as he quickly retreated back to the Infirmary. He could barely hear their voices, all he could make out was someone winning a bet...He listen closely to see if anyone else had been found. '_It looks like Sanji is the only one to be found,'_ Chopper thought to himself as he heard Nami's voice once again.

"Chopper! It's terrible! Hurry, we need your medical expertise!" Chopper gasped. Surely not even Nami would lie about a medical emergency. Chopper wrenched the door open and flinched as it slammed against the wall. He ran towards the kitchen door while tripping twice on his pants before finally opening the door while panting heavily.

"What happened!" Chopper yelled looking around to make sure everyone was alright while panting. He saw Nami smile while the others either smiled or looked guilty. He also saw Sanji tied up. Within seconds Chopper found himself tied up next to Sanji, "Eh?"

"Gomen Chopper, this is just till we find the others," Nami explained while tightening the rope so the small reindeer couldn't escape, but not tight enough to hurt him. Nami stood up and dusted her hands off while admiring her handy-work.

"H-Hai," Chopper responded with tears in his eyes at the betrayal. He felt Michelle gently sit down beside him before petting his head. Chopper sniffled while looking at Michelle and Kayla, who jumped on his lap.

"There there Chopper-san. It's okay," Michelle said, comforting the small reindeer while Robin tallied up the score behind her. Chopper sniffled while Kayla purred reassuringly.

"300 beli to Michelle-chan," Robin said smiling and ticking some names off the list. Franky groaned some more while Brook dug in his pockets and mumbled to himself about how many coins he had. Ace tried not to laugh as he saw Chopper stare at Michelle with tears in his eyes.

"You betted against me?" Chopper asked in a hurt voice. Michelle looked sad before sitting down and looking at the floor. She than got up and took the money she earned last round and handed it back to the confused Franky and Brook.

"I'm dropping out of the competition," Michelle muttered while sniffling, "I don't like hurting and betraying people." Sanji and Chopper gulped at seeing the small girls tears. They glanced at each other nervously.

"Ah, you didn't betray us Michelle-chan!" Sanji said quickly, trying to stop the girls tears. Chopper nodded his head furiously. Ace smiled at the scene, it was funny to see Michelle actually act like a little kid instead of an adult for once.

"Yeah, it's okay!" Chopper exclaimed happily while smiling. Michelle looked up while rubbing her eyes with her fist.

"R-Really," she hiccuped while a few blotches of red covered her cheeks. Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Brook blushed at the cute little girl. Nami and Robin were _aw_ing in their heads. Kayla meowed amused while Ace smiled.

Everyone was surprised when Nami suddenly grabbed the girl around the neck and squeezed her with a hug. She had a upset expression on her face.

"Aww, it's okay, ignore those crybaby boys," Nami said while rubbing her head against the younger's. Michelle sniffled before giving a shaky smile. Franky and Chopper looked at Nami nervously, she was definitely acting weird, while Ace and Brook were quite calm and were discussing the bets they made.

"A-Arigato Nami-onee-san," Michelle said yawning sleepily and leaning against the older girl. Nami looked surprised, as did everyone else. Ace seemed to smile even wider. Michelle always seemed so shy on the ship, and didn't form to many close relationships, that's one of the reasons he went with her to that island for whatever reason.

"What did you call me?" Nami asked both surprised and confused, looking down at the half-asleep girl. Michelle rubbed her eyes before slowly standing up and smiling gently.

"I called you that, cause your my Onee-chan!" she said while smiling hugely. Robin smiled as she saw Michelle still had most common sense, but was somewhat in a behavior lapse. Ace smiled also. He couldn't wait to tell the rest of the crew about this, Michelle gently tapped her forehead with her hand.

"Oh yeah, here you are," Michelle said while reaching up her gown as a few objects fell out. Everyone looked confused as they stared at the objects, they looked very familiar...

"She didn't..." Ace muttered in a undertone while staring at the pile.

"She wouldn't..." Franky also muttered while digging in his pockets furiously.

"But, apparently, she did," Robin chuckled as they stared at the pile of wallets in front of Michelle. Michelle grabbed them before tottering over and handing a black one to Brook, a blue on to Franky, and a red and black one to Ace.

"Gomen, it's a bad habit," Michelle said while staring at the floor and scratching the back of her head. The three boys looked at the wallets, _their _wallets, the girl had handed them. Ace slightly paled before sighing, Franky looked uneasy, while Brook just laughed it off saying it was alright.

"You stole their wallets?" Nami asked while staring down at the young girl. Michelle looked up guiltily before answering.

"It's a habit I developed when I was little...I don't mean to do it-" she was suddenly cut off with a hug by Nami who squealed in excitement.

"You really are the perfect little sister!" Michelle blushed while Robin chuckled, and Franky slowly backed up from the odd 8-year-old. Chopper had a _aw_ face on before sniffing the air, he wrinkled his nose in disgust before speaking up.

"Nami, can you find the others so we can bath, my nose is dying over here!" Chopper complained while Nami looked up.

"Ah, your right!" she exclaimed while deciding who she would lure out next. She looked at Sanji to see his hair was sticking up in odd places, and food covered his clothes. Chopper was worse...he had multi-colored fur, due to the food that stuck to his fur. His pants were also dirty and needed cleaning. His hat seemed to be miraculously clean for some reason. Nami also glanced at the guys behind her to see they were in a similar state.

Franky had his shirt stained with various stains, while his whole body seemed to have patches of odd colors. Brook's clothes were a complete mess, his dodging didn't work to well, and his afro...lets just say it was no longer black anymore... Ace looked to be the cleanest so far. His shirt only had one or two stains while his pants had almost none. His boots seemed to have suffered the worst fate and looked as if they could no longer be saved from their untimely end. His hat was hanging from his neck and was also spotless.

"Matakun...when I find those guys..." Nami trailed off and muttered to herself while looking around for the others. Michelle yawned tiredly before sitting down beside Chopper. Kayla slowly jumped off Chopper's lap and slowly transformed into a panther...well...sorta. This panther seemed to be different, it's ears were pointed, while it's fur, was still the pure black of Kayla's, and not the blue it was in her full panther form, plus, she was only half as big as a normal panther.

Quite a few seemed surprised when Kayla suddenly changed, but ignored it also, as Kayla walked up and layed behind Michelle, supporting her from behind. Michelle yawned again before muttering, "Arigato Kaylvanna..."

"Kaylvanna?" Chopper asked in confusion while looking at the cat. Ace nodded his head before answering everyone's unasked questions.

"Hai. That's her full name, but most of us call her Kayla. We don't even know much about her except she ate the Neko Neko no Mi: Model, Panther. Michelle can't even remember when she ate her fruit or when Kayla ate hers, she just says they've had their powers as long as they can remember."

Everyone looked surprised at the information. They all looked at the girl as Nami trailed off trying to look for something. Sanji looked at Ace before asking a question.

"Where is she from?" Ace smiled a little bit before looking around to see where Nami went.

"You'll have to ask her yourself if you want to find out, it's not my past to tell..." Ace said while walking towards the rail and climbing up onto it before trying to find the others from his vantage spot. He spotted Nami coming out of the boys room pulling a couple of objects behind her. She dropped some of them by the stairs before behind her, before crossing the lawn deck and going over to the railing.

"That's a little un-_supa, _isn't it?" Franky muttered soft while Nami held a light-green, staff-like object over the water below them while smiling evilly. Uh-oh...

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

_'What's going on out there!'_ Usopp yelled to himself frantically while pressing his ear against the door. He was hiding in his Factory right across from Franky's workshop. There was items scattered all over from his various inventions. He had run down here a few minutes ago and nothing had happened yet...

"**GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE YOU COWARDS!" **Usopp jumped back from the door and tripped over a piece of pipe behind him. He scrambled under the table behind him shaking in fear. Nami could be quite mean when she wanted to be. After a few more minutes of cowering under the table, he slowly climbed out and mumbled about how he wasn't even at '_full power'_ yet...

"Man...what's going on out there," Usopp said quietly to himself while opening the door a crack and peeking out. He didn't hear anything...He slowly stepped out and tip-toed his way across the floor and grabbed the ladder. He listened intently before looking back and forth furiously. After seeing nothing unusual he climbed the ladder and stopped at the top. He heard a noise.

Usopp freaked out and stood stone-still, hoping it was to dark for anyone to see him. He heard the door to the energy room open, than a loud muttering before the door slammed shut again. He waited a few seconds before slowly climbing up and peeping around the Energy room. He saw empty cola barrels, but no one there.

Usopp sighed in relief before climbing the rest of the way up shuffling to the door. He almost tripped, but quickly caught himself in time. He listened to see if anyone had heard him. '_It looks like I'm in the clear...now let's see what everyone is doing,' _Usopp thought while opening the door a crack. He peeked outside to see Nami walking across the lawn deck, carrying something that looked very familiar.

"No...she w-wouldn't," Usopp stuttered while watching Nami walk across the deck and hold the object over the ocean while smiling. He _eep_ed before he heard Nami speak.

"If you don't want your slingshot to fall into the ocean, you better get out here Usopp!" Usopp gasped and ran forward, throwing the door open, running down the small line of deck in front of him, rushing into the Aquarium Bar, throwing the door opening and running onto the lawn deck before bending over and panting and wheezing.

"W-W-Wait! Do-don't...d-do..it!" Usopp panted while looking up, "Ara..." He saw Michelle leaning against a panther, he saw Franky, Brook, and Robin over by the kitchen door, he saw Ace sitting on the railing and looking at him with a amused look. He paled as he saw Sanji and Chopper tied up yelling for him to run. He looked towards the railing to see Nami was gone, Kabuto was laying on the ground where she had been standing.

"Hello Usopp," Usopp screamed and paled as Nami spoke from behind him. Usopp quickly found himself twitching from the shock while tied up with rope and put beside the others. Nami clapped her hands together smiling widely. Usopp muttered to himself.

"Witch...baba...demon..."

"I can hear you!" Nami yelled at Usopp, who quickly pretended to be dead...or asleep. Nami sighed as she looked at Usopp. His bandana was still tightly tied to his head, his goggles resting on top. Both seemed to have escaped the food massacre, but his hair got quite a pant job. As did his outfit. His boots were similar to Ace's, un-saveable. His outfit was covered with food, mostly yellow and white for some reason.

"Who won?" Franky asked while looking at Robin who was tallying up the scores. She smiled before ticking a couple things off on the paper.

"200 beli to Franky, 200 also would have gone to Michelle-chan if she was still playing," Robin said smiling while glancing at the small girl out of the corner of her eye. Franky laughed.

"SUPA!" he yelled loudly as he did his super pose. The others sweat-dropped while Ace tried not to laugh. He looked up when he heard rustling and suppressed giggles. Ace looked down at the tree below him while Brook handed Franky his money. Ace quickly threw a coin to Franky before blocking out the cyborg and concentrating on the tree beneath him.

Ace almost burst into laughter at the sight. He saw a glimpse of a straw-hat before seeing Luffy's face. Luffy lifted his finger to his lips signaling for silence before inching his way towards the middle of the tree. Ace gently leaned back before placing his hat on his head and smiling widely. Looks like Luffy had just jumped off the rail and into the top of the tree when he was picking where to hide.

Ace was brought back to the others when he saw Nami slide down the slide and walk towards the objects she had placed by the stairs earlier. She had trouble as she lifted what looked to be three heavy objects. As she pulled them into the fading sunlight, they saw the objects were three swords. Franky laughed while Brook looked neutral, and a little upset. Sanji was laughing along with Usopp and Chopper. Robin merely chuckled as Michelle seemed to wake up a little bit and rub her eyes. She looked at Nami to see her holding the swords and smiling evilly.

Michelle jumped up and ran to the railing, "Ah, Nami-onee-san, you can't use Zoro-san's swords to lure him out, swords are the swordsman's pride!" Michelle yelled while moving to stand in front of the slide.

"Gomen Michelle-chan, but it's the only way to lure out Zoro," Nami said raising a hand in apology. Usopp spoke up drawing Michelle's attention.

"Ah that's right! You're a swordsman too right?" Usopp asked looking at Michelle.

"Hai, I use...two...short..." Michelle slowly trailed off while looking around, confusing everyone there.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked worried. Michelle looked at him for a second before a smile twitched on her face.

"_**I think I lost my swords..."**_


	13. Destructive Soap

**Chapter 12~Destructive Soap!**

_x_

o

x

"_I think I lost my swords..." Michelle said looking around with a depressed and confused expression adorning her features._

X

o

x

Ace looked surprised at the statement before sighing heavily. She somehow always lost her swords on the ship. Ace was trying to figure out where she could have left them while Sanji was wiggling in his ropes before flipping over and landing on his stomach. He had a look of fiery determination on his face.

"I'll find them, Michelle-chwaaan!" Sanji cried loudly while scrunching up and crawling along the floor. It was quite an amusing sight as he resembled a blonde-tipped caterpillar. A few snickers could be heard from the other two tied up, and also from Franky. Unfortunately, due to Sanji's current position, he wasn't able to look up to see where he was going and was heading straight for the railings. And at his current size, he could easily slip through the edges and fall.

"Oi, don't go running-crawling-off," Franky reprimanded while quickly running forward and lifting Sanji up from the back of his shirt and carrying him away from the railing he was about to plunge over, setting him down gently back by the others. Brook laughed quietly before bending down to Michelle's level.

"Do you remember where you last saw them?" Brook asked while Michelle paused in thought. She strained to remember her fading memories. Her eyes opened, uncertainty and fear clouding her eyes.

"I-I remember...I was fighting Garp, me and Kaylvanna. I was trying to fight back...I don't remember why I was so determined not to lose though..." Michelle trailed off while the others stared at the uncertain girl. A few of them had heard what she had cried in frustration, but decided to ask her about it later. Michelle shuffled back and forth on her feet nervously before continuing, "I also...remember being hit in the head," here she lifted her arms and moved them as to cover a bump on top of her head, realizing what she was doing, she hesitantly lowered them back to her side before looking up at Brook.

"Anything else?" the kind skeleton asked in a soft voice. He could sense the young child was frighted at not being able to recall most of her memories. Michelle gently nodded her head at his question before clutching her chest as if she was having trouble breathing.

"I...I remember a fist coming back down to hit me again...And I had trouble standing," Michelle seemed to stop in mid-sentence while trying to take a deep breath. Nami looked at the girl in sympathy from the lawn deck, the swords she were holding were starting to slip from her arms. Usopp, Franky, and Chopper had tears in their eyes at hearing the battle from her perspective. Robin and Brook seemed to have a sad yet comforting aura radiating from them. Sanji was trying to figure out how he could kill Garp for even daring to hit a lady while Ace sighed sadly while having the sign of pain in his eyes, every one knew that a fellow nakama's pain is their pain too.

"I..." Michelle started to speak before trailing off and backing up a step, "I remember...looking at Kayla, and crying?" the girl asked, as if she was unsure of the story herself, "Than...I remember saying something...but I don't know what," she said looking up to meet the faces that stared at her. She had tears welling up in her eyes, she was trying to get rid of them, but here frantic thoughts barely allowed her to remember to breath. '_Why am I crying? Am I falling into another behavioral lapse? No...there's something more than a child's behavior to this...What is happening to me?'_

"Than I remember a dull thud, something hard hitting steel," the girl continued, her thoughts were scrambled and she was starting to shake- from cold or fear no one could tell. She looked up at the others, a glazed pained look clouded her eyes, it was almost as if she was talking, explaining, without processing the information. She took another step back nervously before clutching her chest tighter and trying to breath, "Than, I remember seeing Zoro-san," Michelle was now starting to take ragged breaths trying to fill her lungs with air.

"Oi Michelle, are you okay?" Ace asked worryingly while jumping down from the railing he had been sitting on. He was starting to panic at the girl's strange behavior. He glanced at the tree to see Luffy's head was sticking up and looking concerned. Luffy caught the older D's eyes before sending a silent message, _Is she alright? _Ace shrugged barely, trying not to give Luffy's position away. The others wouldn't have noticed anyway, even if Ace shouted, they all had their eyes trained on Michelle, worried about what was going on through the girl's mind.

_X_

_'Kuso! What's going on down there?' _Zoro's thoughts screamed while he stared out the window of the crow's nest. He was standing on the back of the couch that winded it's way around the circular room. He had opened one of the windows so he could see what was happening. He had watched all the proceedings, including Ace chuckling at spotting Luffy, the other guys getting captured-including that idiot cook, than that witch Nami had grabbed his swords. He was about to jump down and get his swords back when he saw Michelle leap up and start to defend him.

_'Why does she care?' _Zoro asked himself as he listened to her talking to Nami. He had heard her trail off before saying she lost her swords. The swordsman sighed, if that was all. He had put her swords in the girls room a little before dinner so she could retrieve them later. Zoro was about to duck down and hide again, when he heard Brook asking if she remembered. Zoro shrugged it off before leaning back against the couch and trying to salvage some kind of sleep.

Zoro listened as the girl tried to remember what had happened earlier that day. He could hear the pain and uncertainty in her voice from where he was. He had heard her starting to take ragged breaths. Zoro began to get worried since he couldn't see what was going on, and climbed back onto the couch before spotting the others. He saw three of the idiots were balling their eyes out, Luffy was poking his head out of the tree with a worried look on his face, and the others were starting to get really worried about the girl. Zoro than looked at Michelle, who was starting to back away again. Unfortunately, fate just loved to torment the Mugiwaras.

_**X**_

Michelle slowly took a step back, she felt the ground leave her foot and quickly tried to step forward before she lost all of her balance, but at the same time the ship hit a wave or current of some sort, causing the smaller of the crew to lose their balance. Luffy had fallen to the lower branches of the tree, Zoro had fallen of the couch and onto the floorboards holding his weights, while Ace had clutched onto the railing for support. Michelle had been the worst off though.

As soon as the ship was rocked to the side, she had lost what little balance she had managed to reclaim. She felt her feet slide out from under her and a short falling sensation. She than felt herself hit the wood beneath her and slide towards the lawn deck. She would have been fine had she rolled towards the center of the ship, but fate seemed to hate them today.

Michelle was quickly slipping towards the edge of the ship, her small hands were trying to grab something on the deck, but she wasn't able to grasp anything. She finally grabbed onto a post that was supporting the rail behind her as she raced past. She dug her nails into the hard wood while trying to gain leverage with her other arm, which was waving frantically in the wind as she hung precariously over the edge of the Sunny.

"Michelle!" the others, the ones who weren't tied up anyways, ran towards the deck to try and help, Nami and Zoro were still trying to regain their balances when they heard Michelle's loud scream, than silence. Zoro scrambled to his feet before opening the latch to the ladder and racing down the steps. He started climbing down while trying to see what had happened. He smirked as he saw the sight, '_That little monkey sure is fast when he wants to be.' _Zoro thought to himself as he saw Luffy clutching Michelle's hand and planting his feet on each side of the posts beside him for support.

"Oi Luffy, hang on tight!" Ace yelled while reaching the slide and quickly jumping on it, throwing out his arms and balancing himself to where he was sliding gracefully toward the bottom. Zoro at the same time had jumped from the last few rings and landed gracefully on his feet, being the excellent and skilled swordsman he was.

Luffy tried to tighten his grip on Michelle's hand and keep his balance at the same time. He had seen Ace running towards him while the others had opted to take the stairs. Nami had thrown down Zoro's swords before running towards them, said swordsman was currently making his way down from the crow's nest. Luffy glanced out of the corner of his eyes before seeing Zoro slip from the remaining steps and landing face-first on the deck. Luffy would have laughed-had he not been slowly slipping into the icy waters below the two.

Ace and Zoro had almost reached the two to help when another wave decided to strike the hull. The resulting tip of the the ship was just enough to loosen Luffy's already weak grip, and send the two plunging towards the water below.

"Luffy!" Ace cried while Zoro looked shocked, both boys skidded to a stop in front of the railing before looking down to see two small splashes. The two shared a glance for a half-second before a quick understanding passed between the two.

_x_

"Luffy-san, Michelle-san!" Brook cried while jumping over the railing, he was quickly stopped by Franky before the cyborg let go and allowed the skeleton to fall backwards and hit the deck.

"Oi Brook! If you jump in after them you're just gonna sink too!" Franky yelled at the skeleton while Robin and Nami reached the side and peered over. They saw two more splashes on the waters surface before Nami let out a huge breath.

"Matakun...why do things like this always happen to us..." Nami muttered while Robin smiled softly. She too was worried about the 4 underwater. The two who were Akuma no Mi users couldn't stay under long before they ran out of air, but she was sure Ace and Zoro would reach them on time. Those two were like older brothers to everyone on board. Robin stared at the waters before watching the setting sun cast a eerie golden glow over the sea. Robin smiled as she softly recited an old mariners saying, "Pink skies at night, a sailor's delight. Red skies in the morning...a sailors warning..." the smile Robin was wearing, didn't quite reach her eyes, they remained cold and wary of what lay ahead of them...

_x_

_o_

_x_

_'THOSE IDIOTS!' _These seemed to be the thoughts of both Ace and Zoro as their bodies hit the freezing water below them. Both had to clench their teeth to hold in the gasp of shock that was threatening to break free from their lips. A second later they seemed to adjust before quickly looking around the dark seas they were in.

It seemed like an eternity as they began swimming downwards, fear setting in deeper and deeper. '_Kuso! How fast do devil fruit users sink!' _Zoro yelled while Ace's thoughts remained too scrambled to decipher anything, too busy searching for the small air bubbles that he was afraid to find, since that would mean Luffy would be out of air.

The two swam down further and further, panic finally choosing to settling in their chests before laughing and running around to wreak havoc. The two's lungs were starting to burn for air, Zoro seemed to be struggling to continue to hold his breath, on the verge of passing out. Ace on the other hand, seemed to ignore the painful burn that felt as if his lungs had turned to fire using his Mera Mera powers.

Zoro was about to drag Ace back to the surface so they didn't die either. He was reluctant to do so, but if they could ask the others for help, than that would mean they could find them faster.

Just as Zoro was about to grab the flame-user and drag him up, the two saw tiny air bubbles floating towards them. They swam down faster seeing two small shadows that lay unmoving. Ace's thoughts were still in a jumble, but thankfully instinct kicked in as he kicked downwards before grabbing Luffy's cold hand.

Zoro did the same, grabbing Michelle's small frame as Luffy's strength finally left and he was forced to let go of the girls hand. The two looked at each other before nodding and swimming upwards as fast as they could. If they thought swimming down had been painful...this was worse.

Getting up seemed to take twice as long as it had to get down. This may have been to where the two in their arms weren't moving, or where their 'Devil's Curse' as most referred to it, caused them to feel as if they weighed countless tons. Such weight would cause normal children such as Ace and Zoro to sink down with them, but...those two are the opposite when it come to being normal now aren't they?

_'A few more feet,' _Ace thought desperately, his thoughts seeming to have vanished as the panic seemed to grow larger in his chest. Ace quickly glanced at Zoro to see the swordsman was on the verge of passing out. He usually would be able to handle something like this no problem, but with his new size, his lungs had also shrunk.

Ace's fear seemed to double as he saw the ocean finally rip Zoro's mouth open, his last remaining air wrenched away. He would have slowly started drifting to the bottom with Michelle had Ace not grabbed the boy's hand before trying to swim even faster to the surface.

Ace's lungs finally gave out as he reached a few feet from the surface, gasping for breath Ace felt himself slowly slipping into unconscious. What was he doing? He had survived that storm, being turned into a child, and diving hundreds of feet down to rescue his careless brother! He would be darned before he let something like this overcome him.

With new determination he kicked a few more seconds, just enough to break the surface. His head broke the surface gasping for breath. Instinct seemed to take over again as he brought the others up and held them at and angle to where they could get air. A few seconds later Zoro and Michelle both coughed up water and gasped while trying to get air into their lungs.

"W-Wha..." was all Michelle seemed to be able to get out before her throat started to burn to much for her to talk. Zoro gently grabbed her before holding her in a position where she could breathe easier, he had a lot of practice with rescuing Luffy.

Speaking of which, the young devil fruit user seemed to be still and silent, which wasn't a good thing.

"Come on Luffy, you're not dying here," Ace muttered as he pounded on Luffy's back, trying to get the boy to cough up the seawater he had inhaled. After a minute Luffy started coughing up water and gagging, trying to get air down as if he would never get the chance again.

Zoro and Michelle sighed in relief, having starting to worry when the boy hadn't moved. Ace seemed to be running on instinct by now, his mind was a mess. The one thought that he managed to form into words, "Matakun...You're going to cause me to die a premature death with gray hair...aren't you," Ace seemed to smirk on the last bit before holding Luffy tighter against his chest.

"Oi, is everyone okay!"

Everyone looked up to see Franky was leaning over the side of the ship and trying to see if everyone was alright. Zoro looked down to see if the girl in his arms really was okay. He could feel her shivering, from fear or from the cold he had not idea, but if he had to guess it would be a combination of the two. Zoro was gently patting her back, trying to get her to breath enough to where she wouldn't be in danger of suffocation, as he did, he felt her slowly start to calm down although he could make out little whimpers here and there.

He started to make his way towards the Sunny where the others were throwing a rope ladder over the side with Franky sliding down to meet them in the water. Zoro barely seemed to notice, he was keeping an eye on the girl, her breathing was getting shallow and her skin had taken on a blue tinge instead of a health pink color.

Luffy on the other-hand, was in worse condition, much worse. Ace had been holding Luffy tightly while trying to get him to get enough breath and get the seawater out of his lungs also. He felt the younger D start to struggle a little before Luffy opened his eyes and tried to blink away blurry images, he was finally able to make out a bright orange blur, he instantly knew what it was.

"Oi Luffy, daijoubu ka?" the flame-user asked, not even trying to mask the concern and worry that was shown clearly in his eyes. The rubber captain finally managed to look up in his brothers face, but his eyes were glazed as if he was looking at something only he could see.

Ace started to worry even more as he saw Luffy was struggling to take a breath and had his eyes shut tight. Small moans of pain were coming from the boy, which Ace was sure would have been screams of pain had the seawater not weakened him. Ace's mind seemed to become blank as he saw Luffy struggle to grab something while the small whimpers and moans of pain continued. The older D must have moved on instinct, for it seemed as soon as he blinked he was looking at the face of the concerned red-haired navigator.

"Are you guys alright?" Nami asked worryingly as she surveyed the dripping figures that were on the deck, gasping for breath and shivering from the Sun's fading warmth. Ace took the moment to look around and saw Franky was no where to be seen and Brook was pulling up the rope ladder, the others were crowed around them while Chopper was inspecting everyone.

"It looks like the saltwater irritated Luffy's wound," Chopper muttered worryingly before opening his medical bag and rummaging around for bandages. Within seconds Luffy's bandages had been replace with clean dry ones, the small doctor had become very skilled and quick at bandaging Luffy's wounds since he usually fell in the ocean after they told him to be careful.

"Here, these will help warm you up," Franky said as Ace saw him come out of one of the many doors on the ship carrying large and thick blankets. He draped one over each shivering pair while watching them slowly start to slow their breathing back to a normal pace. It was silent till a small voice suddenly broke the silence surprising them.

"G-Gomen-nasai," Michelle muttered as she managed to get enough air in her lungs to talk. Zoro was grasping her tightly while pulling the fuzzy blanket over them so as too keep them warm. A few of them noted in amusement that the green-haired first mate didn't even seem to be aware of what he was doing. Michelle seemed not to notice anyone or thing as tears started to well up in red, blood-shot eyes.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Brook asked softly and kindly, bending down, while a small smile seemed to play upon his lips, ah, although he had no lips. Skull Jo~ke! Michelle looked up at the smiling skeleton, a few of the tears beginning to slide down her face, leaving invisible tear streaks on her still wet cheeks.

"Yeah. This idiot falls into the water at least four times a day," Nami quickly said while pointing to Luffy, who was snugly wrapped in the fuzzy blanket with Ace holding him tightly under it. Luffy's expression seemed to become annoyed as Franky spoke also.

"And that's when he's being supa careful," Franky said while putting his usual emphasis on the work supa. Luffy finally seemed to get mad before speaking up at the totally unfair accusations.

"I do not!" he shouted while fixing Nami and Franky with a fierce glare, which may have worked, had he not been the image of a pouting child. Franky just laughed quietly while Nami smirked before taking a picture, when the staring continued Nami sighed and returned the stare, only hers started to make Luffy fidget.

"Wanna bet?" Nami asked quietly. Luffy was about to fight back, but before he had the chance Ace had quickly pushed the straw-hat off his head to where it was hanging of the string on his neck, and placed his hand on Luffy's head before gently ruffling his hair. Luffy's eyes, as they had before, took on a sleepy and glazed look as a small smile fixed itself upon his face.

Ace was still holding the almost purring Luffy while Michelle observed them closely. She was still shivering, but only just. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead as she started to notice something about the two that the others had yet to observe. Although that may not have been quite true as she glanced at Robin's smile at her out of the corner of her eyes. Her observation however, was quickly interrupted when she saw a small white flash out of the corner of her eyes.

She looked to see Nami was smiling while Zoro and Ace were both blushing and staring at Nami and the camera. Luffy didn't seem to notice anything other than his being petted, while Michelle looked confused before trying to figure out what she missed.

"Oi, can't you spare trying to get blackmail when they just got dragged out of the ocean!" Franky yelled while looking at Nami, who quickly turned her head before replying with a smile on her face.

"I could, but I might not get such an excellent opportunity again, now would I?" Nami responded while glaring at Franky. The two started to argue back and forth before Michelle turned her head to see Sanji had interrupted the conversation. He had crawled his way to the slide and slid his way down and crawled over to Franky.

"Oi Franky! That's no way to talk to a lady!" Sanji yelled while looking up from the ground and trying to get in a standing position. Nami sighed as Franky and Sanji also started to argue, insults flying back and forth. Robin was hiding her smile behind her hand while Usopp and Chopper were yelling from the stairs.

"Oi, are you guys alright?" Usopp asked while he inched his way forward, he had quickly lost his balance however and was quickly starting to slide towards the deck.

"Ah! Usopp!" Chopper cried while quickly transforming into Walk Point and grabbing Usopp's pants with his teeth and trying to drag the sniper back onto the platform they were on. The ropes didn't even seem to tighten after Chopper's transformation, apparently Nami had accounted for this and added an extra length of rope that would work if he transformed.

"Don't drop me!" Usopp yelled while tears began to stream down his face while Chopper tried to mutter though the mouthful of pants he had, his hoofs were comically slipping as he tried to back up, causing him to run in place. Michelle suddenly looked up when she saw Kayla was standing in front of her in half-panther form with her swords clutched tightly in her mouth. Luffy looked at Kayla before muttering 'Kitty' and trying to reach for her, Ace chuckled at Luffy's behavior while Michelle heard Zoro sigh and mutter something about how crazy this crew was.

Michelle gently lowered her head and stared at her hands, small noises were starting to come from her, causing the others to stare at her with worry. They were starting to wonder if they had did something wrong, their concerns were quickly put to rest however when she looked up with a huge smile on her face, laughing more than Ace had ever heard the shy girl laugh.

Michelle's gentle peals of laughter was filling the air, causing everyone's moods to lift and smiles to be seen all around.

"Aww," Chopper said, his eyes tearing up. Unfortunately he had let go of Usopp's leg when he had started to talk, which Usopp was quick to figure out.

"Chopper!" Usopp cried as he started to slide down towards the deck again, head-first, which he didn't quite like.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried while trying to grab his friend again, he was unsuccessful however for as soon as he had grabbed him, his footing was lost and the two began to slide down towards the deck and landed in a heap at the bottom. Chopper had landed on top of Usopp, reverting to Brain Point as he did so, both looked dizzy and was muttering about stars. Nami chuckled before talking another photo, causing Franky's eye to twitch.

"Ya see girlie! You keep trying to get blackmail!" Franky yelled before Nami got an annoyed expression before turning around to fix Franky in a glare.

"You'll get your turn too Franky," Nami muttered while Sanji started to yell at Franky for yelling at Nami. Franky started getting mad and was yelling back, not hearing Nami's threat, which was a good thing since it would have greatly scared him.

"Yohohoho! How about a song?" Brook asked as he took out his violin case while laughing and put it under his chin before he started to play a upbeat, happy tune that traveled around the deck and seemed to laugh along with the others.

"Kitty..." Luffy muttered as Kayla meowed before transforming into her small kitten form and jumping into the now smiling Luffy's lap. Ace started laughing while Zoro yelled over to ask if Usopp and Chopper were okay, in a uncaring and bored tone I should add.

"...Ugh...I think I broke something..." Usopp muttered as Chopper jumped up in panic.

"Really? Ahhh! We need a doctor!" Chopper yelled before running around in circles and generally freaking out, however before he could get very far, he remembered he was tied up and fell back face-first onto the ground.

"Oi Chopper! Be quiet!" Zoro yelled at the reindeer while rubbing his head. He was tired and didn't even know why he had saved the girl who was now sitting in his lap. He glanced down to see Michelle was smiling happily and was still laughing, though not as much as before. A smile had started to tug at the corners of his mouth before Usopp's comment caused his face to grow red in anger. What? You though he blushed? Of course not, the soon-to-be greatest swordsman would never blush!

"Ignore him Chopper, he just wants to play with his new crush," Usopp said as he chuckled and looked at the furiously blushing Zoro. His plan backfired however when the expression quickly turned into one of anger and rage, causing Usopp to gulp in fear, he had hoped Zoro would just blush, not get mad and try to kill him.

"What was that?" Zoro asked quietly from his place across the deck, yet Usopp caught every word. The two were soon yelling at each other across the deck, well, one was yelling, and the other was lying and screaming he didn't want to die. Chopper was still yelling out for a doctor while trying to run around and panic as Brook's song echoed throughout the ship. Robin looked at the scene before her and started to laugh gently. Even though her crew was a handful, she didn't know what she would have done if she had never met her nakama...

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

"I don't wanna take a bath!" Luffy yelled as he was thrown into the bathroom along with the others. Usopp and Chopper were already on the floor trying to get out of their rope while Sanji was staring at Nami with hearts in his eyes and obediently sitting in the corner, much like a faithful puppy.

"Too bad!" Nami yelled back to her more-than-usual childish captain before shoving Franky, Brook, and Ace through the door, followed by a tied up and swearing Zoro. His threats were quickly stopped when a hand bloomed out of the wooden floor and covered his mouth. He looked up and glared at a smiling Robin.

"Come on Nami! Not even you are that cruel!" Usopp shouted trying to reason with the fiery red-head before Nami smiled, giving Usopp some hope.

"Your right Usopp, I'm not," here her smile quickly turned into more of a face of horror before she continued, "I'm worse..." his brief hope was now gone, most likely hiding from the demon it had seen.

"H-Hai," Usopp and Chopper muttered while shivering and trying to hide behind Franky, who was just as nervous as the two behind him.

The others looked surprised when Michelle popped up beside Nami and smiled. She still had the soft, blue blanket around her figure, but her hair was now dry and she was smiling widely.

"Arigatou!" she said while smiling really big, confusing all the boys in the room.

"Eh? For what?" Luffy asked as he tilted his head to the side in confusion, his escape attempts forgotten for the moment.

"Well, for one-finding my swords," here she looked at Zoro's still struggling figure, "Arigatou-na Zoro-san!" As soon as Michelle smiled Zoro seemed to stop struggling as his eyes closed and a pink blush seemed to creep up on her cheeks. Sanji was snickering to himself and enjoying the sight. Nami was also enjoying it as she pulled out her trusty camera.

"And also," Michelle continued while Kayla jumped up on her shoulders and started purring in delight and rubbing against Michelle's head, "for helping me remember something I thought I had forgotten long ago..." here she trailed off while a gentle and sad smile that was quickly noticed by the others.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Usopp asked while peeking out from behind Franky as best her could, he was still tied up with Nami's rope skills. Michelle looked at him before smiling again and letting out a small chuckle.

"Maybe I'll tell you after we get changed back to normal."

"But-"

"No more questions!" Nami slightly yelled, stepping into the conversation, "You guys still need to bath, and we need to get to bed. Tomorrow we have to face that freaky little disappearing girl again!" As soon as Nami was done yelling and giving instructions, she gently picked up the swaying and yawning Michelle and started walking down the hall, "Ah! Almost forgot."

Nami walked back and pulled a key out from around her neck before shutting the door tightly. The guys looked confused before a few started to look scared.

"She wouldn't..." Zoro muttered as Robins replicated hand disappeared in a small flurry of pink petals. Usopp seemed to be the next one to catch on to the danger they were in.

"Not even she would do that...right?" Usopp's nervous voice asked while Franky shook his head before letting out a huge sigh that sounded as if all hope was lost.

"No," as soon as Franky had said this a dull _click_ was heard from the other side of the door-no, from the door, "she would..."

"Yohoho...I believe Nami-san just locked us in," Brook said, stating the obvious as silence seemed to settle in the bathroom for only a few seconds. As soon as Brook's comment had registered into their minds, Usopp, Chopper, Zoro, and Luffy rushed towards the door and tried to open it by banging their heads against the door.

"I still love you Nami-swaan!" Sanji shouted while Zoro became annoyed. Franky also looked clearly annoyed, but for different reasons.

"Come over here and help us Ero-cook!"

"Oi, you better not dent that door!" Franky yelled as Sanji and Zoro ignored him.

"What was that Marimo!"

As the two's fight began to start Franky let out a huge sigh. Ace didn't know whether to laugh, or try to escape somehow. He finally sighed in defeat before walking over to the large tub in the middle of the room and looking to see there was fresh water in it. He put his hand in to test before quickly drawing it back when he felt how hot it was. Franky, spotting what Ace was doing, decided to test the water for himself.

"Itee! Is she trying to burn our skin off?" Franky yelled/asked as he cradled his burnt hand with tears running down his face. Brook laughed gently before walking over and standing beside them.

"I'm sure it's not as hot as you think," he said as he stuck his hand into the water. His face remained the same for a few seconds while Franky and Ace looked on in astonishment, each clutching their burnt hands.

"Itee! It burns!" Brook said while quickly pulling his hand out and running around the room, adding even more chaos to the confusion. The two's expressions quickly changed from astonishment to something akin to embarrassment.

"Can he even feel the hot water?" Franky muttered to himself while Ace sighed before rubbing his hand on his pants, trying to wipe off all the hot water.

"I'm not sure...but how do we get the others in here?" Ace asked while looking at the fighting and struggling boys in the corner, all of whom were still trying to break the door down. Franky seemed to become nervous before chuckling.

"We could just throw them in..." Franky muttered before looking down to see Ace had quite an evil smile on his face, "Oi! You wouldn't really do that would you?"

"How do you think Luffy ever got his baths?" Ace countered back before smirking and taking his hat off and setting it in a corner where it was sure not to get damaged. He than stood up and smiled wider before spotting his first two victims, the tied up, and distracted, Sanji and Zoro.

"Curly-brow!"

"At least I don't look like a Strawberry when I blush!" Sanji counted back while smiling. Zoro than blushed causing Sanji to laugh even harder as his statement was proven true before the two were back to trying to bite each other, since their arms and legs were tied to their sides.

"Hey guys..."

Both Sanji and Zoro seemed to freeze for a second before slowly looking behind them to see Ace was standing behind them and had a dark and spooky grin on his face.

"A-Ace...what are you doing?" Sanji asked nervously while Zoro looked suspicious. Ace chuckled at the question before quickly grabbing the two before they could even blink.

"Oi, where's Zoro and Sanji?" Usopp asked looking around to see the two missing. Chopper looked up from his frantic chewing at the door to see Usopp was right. The two were no where to be seen, plus their threats and insults had stopped, a sure sign something was wrong.

"Ah! Where could they have gone though?" Chopper asked with confusion evident on his face. Luffy seemed to grunt before both turned to see the door he was trying to chew threw, unsuccessfully, slipped from his grasp and he tumbled back before bumping into Usopp and landing on the ground again.

"Who cares, let's just get out of here!" Luffy cried before trying to struggle up from his position on the ground before finally giving up and crawling towards the door.

"Oi Luffy, we can't leave without those two," Usopp defended the two. At least, that's what it sounded like, until he finished his sentence,"-we need them as sacrifices in case Nami finds us. Right Chopper?" Silence followed Usopp's question. "Chopper?"

Two yells and splashes caused Usopp and Luffy to freeze up in fear. Another splash confirmed their fears. The two carefully turned around to see Zoro and Sanji were clinging to the sides of the large tub behind them, looking similar to angry wet cats, while Brook held the now weakened Chopper in his lap while leaning against another side of the tub.

"Usopp, Luffy...Run!" Chopper managed to yell before he slowly sunk into the bathwater, finally weakened to where he could barely talk, cursing his devil's fruit weakness. Before Usopp and Luffy could even think about taking the reindeer's advice, two dark shadows appeared behind them.

"Ready for bath time?" Franky said while smiling evilly, at least in Usopp's opinion. Ace seemed to have the same expression as each walked closer to the boys, who looked amazingly calm.

"Usopp?"

"Yeah buddy?" Usopp responded to Luffy's tone. He glanced over to see Luffy's calm expression was broken the next second.

"Run," he managed to mutter before both crawled off in separate directions, each having a freaked out expression upon their features. Franky started to chase after Usopp while Ace tried to catch the energetic child that was Luffy.

"Iiieee!" Usopp cried as he tried to dodge all of Franky's attempts at tackling him to the ground and catching him. He finally gave in when he ended up crashing right into the side of tub. Which was very hard and solid I might add.

"Itee. That had to hurt," Sanji muttered looking beneath him to see Usopp mumbling something about Sogeking and sniper island while Zoro had a expression similar to Sanji's.

"Bet he's gonna feel that tomorrow..." Zoro muttered before Sanji replied.

"I think he's feeling it now..." both would have continued in this manner had not a odd laugh reached their ears, really odd.

"Yohoblgblg," Zoro and Sanji looked up after hearing Brook's laughter take on a strange tone. They looked back to see both Chopper and Brook were underwater and most likely drowning.

"Oi!" both cried before diving underwater and dragging the two up. Chopper started crying while Brook laughed saying they could have died by bathing. Zoro and Sanji looked annoyed as they dragged the two devil fruits users to the side before throwing them over to where their lower bodies where in the water while their arms supported them.

They were quickly startled however when they heard two more splashes. They turned around to see a gasping Usopp coming up from underwater and Franky leaning against the sides.

"ITEE! HOW HOT IS THIS WATER!" Usopp screamed while trying to jump out over the edge. He was quickly pulled back by Franky however.

"Eh? Hot?" Zoro asked while looking at Usopp, "What are you talking about? It's perfect temperature."

"or once the marimo is right," Sanji muttered while also staring at Usopp. Of course Zoro and Sanji quickly started to get into another argument. Franky sighed while Usopp looked on and muttered to himself.

"You guys aren't normal, are you?" Usopp muttered while trying to adjust to the water without screaming out in pain again, which proved to be a difficult task.

"Urusai Love-cook-" Zoro started to yell before a giant splash forced the two to stop arguing and spit out the scalding water that had gotten in their mouths. They looked over to see Luffy was still freaking out while Ace was smirking at having caught his little brother.

"You got caught too?" Usopp asked while looking at Luffy, who quickly tried to fight back without falling into the water.

"No! I just got picked up and forced into the bath against my will!" Everyone stared at Luffy after he spoke before sweat-dropping nervously.

"That _is _getting caught Luffy," Chopper said while clinging to the side, looking like a drowned cat, before Zoro sighed and tried to pull the reindeer back into the herbal water, which wasn't too hard since he was already weakened by the water.

"It's Ace's fault!" Luffy yelled back in response before Franky made a confused expression, as did Usopp and the others.

"Does that even make sense?" Franky asked no one in particular before Usopp looked up and sighed in defeat.

"Does he ever make sense?" Usopp asked back before swimming over to Chopper, who was still struggling to escape.

"No, no he doesn't," Franky said while they heard a the door shake a little bit before creaking open. Everyone immediately quieted down before looking towards the door in shock.

"Here ya go boys!" they heard Nami yell before small round objects came flying towards them, all of them hitting Zoro in the head and knocking him underwater.

"You have excellent aim my beautiful Nami-swaan!" Sanji yelled as Zoro came up gasping for breath. They looked back to hear the door lock shut before spotting a pile of clothes and towels by the now closed, and locked, door.

"Ah, look at these!" Usopp exclaimed while examining the objects Nami had thrown, all with excellent aim, at Zoro. Three small inner-tubes were floating on the surface of the water. One was a bright red with small yellow objects, if you looked closely they resembled straw-hats; one a dark forest green, that had a interesting plaid like pattern of light greens; and the last one was snow white with small pink petals that made it look like a shower of flowers on a snowy day.

"So what?" Zoro asked in annoyance before Usopp swam over to Chopper and pulled the little one off the side of the tub before dropping him in the middle of the inner-tube, much to his surprise and displeasure.

"So this!" Usopp exclaimed as they watched Chopper clutch the side of the tube before the small reindeer finally smiled and relaxed when he saw he wasn't going to sink and drown. He kicked forward with what little power he possessed before giggling with joy and excitement.

"Ah, looks like girlie had a good idea," Franky said laughing while Zoro retreated to the corner of the tub and looked like he was sulking. But in actuality they knew he was keeping an eye on the devil fruit users and making sure none of them slipped underwater, although they would never admit they knew, it would bruise the green-hair's ego too much.

"Yup! Now Luffy and Chopper can swim around like this," Usopp said before trying to swim towards Luffy. He tired quickly though before he quickly put the green one around him. Smiling the sniper continued to kick forward to reach Luffy, who was renewing his efforts at escaping again.

"No way! I don't want to be in here period!" Luffy yelled in response, startling a few of the others. Even when Luffy was sometimes mad, he usually gave up by now, and something like this would usually excite the rubber-boy.

"Oi Luffy, it's not that bad," Usopp said while watching Luffy struggle with a little worry on his face. Ace sighed before looking annoyed, but his annoyance was directed at a crappy old man.

"You obviously didn't see what the crappy old man did when he tried to help bath Luffy..." Ace muttered looking annoyed at the thought. The others started to sweat-drop at the mention of Luffy's grandfather helping...

"Do we want to know?" Zoro asked while the others looked at the struggling Luffy, who answered the question by telling them what happened.

"Jii-san kept throwing me into the tub when it was full...even after I had my devil fruit's powers. He said it would help me be 'a strong marine,'" Luffy muttered before sitting still and sulking. The water had finally drained enough of his power to get him to sit still, much to the relief of some of the others.

"Well, your Jii-san isn't here, right?" Usopp asked while stopping in front of Luffy, who looked confused and suspicious.

"Right," he replied slowly wondering what Usopp was up to. The sniper smiled before grabbing Luffy and dropping the startled child into the inner-tube, where he quickly clutched the side and looked panicked.

"Than you don't have to worry about him drowning you, you got us remember?" Usopp declared while smiling largely and giving Luffy the thumbs-up sign. The younger D looked surprised before he looked around and saw everyone else smiling with reassuring faces.

"Right!" Luffy exclaimed with his usual bright smile on his face before laughing loudly along with Chopper and Usopp. The three than proceeded to float around the tub and annoy all the other occupants, lest they feel left out. Although they would never admit it.

"Yo, you seem happy," Ace said sarcastically as he slid next to an annoyed Zoro, who looked up upon seeing the flame-user.

"Heh, it's been worse before," Zoro muttered before watching the objects of his annoyance, who had been trying to get him to play with them. He was starting to forgive them now that they were annoying the cook.

"I can believe it, he's quite a handful after all," Ace said smiling as he watched his brother jump up and dunk Usopp under the water with Chopper's help, the two than quickly swam off and used Franky as a shield.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't be Luffy if he wasn't," Zoro replied with a smirk as he saw Luffy and Usopp work together to dunk Sanji, who was now chasing them. Ace chuckled before replying to Zoro's comment.

"Yeah...Luffy is Luffy no matter what happens to him," Ace said while smiling, although Zoro had become very apt at reading expressions, and right now, Ace's expression was telling him there was some hidden pain in his sentence. Zoro ignored it, filing it away for future reference before he was shocked out of his thoughts by small hands pushing him underwater.

"Oi Luffy!" Zoro shouted at the laughing boy in front of him as soon as he came up from his dunk, "What was that for!"

"But if Zoro doesn't wash his hair than he won't get clean, than Nami will get mad," Luffy said as if his reasoning was obvious, and in a way, it sorta was. Zoro seemed to twitch before trying to calm his anger and settle his breathing. He would have dunked the brat underwater had he not been worried that it would be too much for his small body to handle right now.

"Ah! That means Ace too!" Luffy said before looking at his brother. Ace's eyes barely had time to widen before Usopp and Chopper came up from his sides and all three pushed the older child under until he came up coughing and sputtering for air.

Zoro tried not to laugh but the temptation was too great. Soon he and the others were all laughing with the older of the crew right now smirking at the sight. Ace seemed to look confused for a few seconds before his smile became quite scary.

"Well...if we have to wash our hair, than we should make sure it's properly washed," Ace said while the others paled. Luffy didn't even take time to think about Ace's sentence before he kicked his legs fast and swam outta there. Usopp was right behind him, but Chopper didn't have the time to escape Ace's grasp.

"Gotcha!" Franky shouted as he grabbed the struggling Luffy and tried to avoid the bites that he was being attacked with.

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed before he caught Usopp firmly around the middle, before he slipped underwater, causing Usopp to sweat-drop. The skeleton was quickly rescued by Sanji however.

"Idiot," the blonde muttered before going over and sitting by Zoro, who seemed suspicious of the behavior. The two ignored each other however when the chaos around them began to ensue.

Franky was trying to put shampoo in Luffy's hair, but the former cyborg was finding it hard with all the struggling and kicking he was putting up. Ace was also trying to clean Chopper, but he had no clue where to start with food sticking to almost all his fur, and the reindeer's shivering form really wasn't helping much. Usopp was yelling about how he had eight thousand followers and wasn't even at full strength yet to Brook, which didn't make sense, the skeleton didn't seem to notice however and was quickly impressed that Usopp had so many followers.

_'This is impossible!' _Franky, Brook, and Ace yelled in their heads at the same time before all looked up at each other, "Trade?" they all asked before confused kids were quickly placed in different laps, much to the amusement of Sanji and Zoro, who also had a similar problem and were glaring at each other.

"I'll wash yours if you wash mine," Sanji muttered as a light pink tinge overtook his cheeks. Zoro also had a nice blush forming on his face.

"Fine, but this never happened," Zoro agreed with a smirk.

"_Agreed," Sanji said before also smirking and telling the marimo to hold still before he poured some shampoo on his head and started scrubbing, much to the two's personal embarrassment._


	14. Squeaky Clean

**Chapter 13 ~ Squeaky Clean**

**x**

**o**

**x**

Meanwhile, the younger of the crew were being traded for different wash buddies. Brook passed Usopp over to Franky while Ace handed the placid Chopper over to Brook. Franky quickly tossed Ace the younger of the crew, as the mini D was trying hard to bite Franky and escape. The amazing thing is, all of the youngers' struggling ceased once they were in the laps of their new caretakers.

Brook was beginning to scrub the leftovers out of Chopper's fur without hurting the little reindeer, in fact, Chopper had a contented smile on his face and was humming softly. Usopp also was quite content. He was telling Franky of the time he beat 10 thousand zombies on Thriller Bark. Franky, who knew he was lying, just nodded and went along with the story while he shampooed the younger's hair.

Luffy had been the one to be most affected by the switch. Whereas before he was biting and scratching Franky while trying to get away, now, he was sitting in Ace's lap quietly while the elder D scrubbed his head. Luffy was, like Chopper, lightly humming, but his was more of a song than sound of contentment.

"Oi Mugiwara, how come you tried to bite me, but you don't even try to fight flame-boy?" Franky asked while he poured a bucket of water over Usopp's hair, who quickly resembled something akin to a drenched cat. Franky smiled apologetically at the glaring sniper.

"Eh?" Luffy asked while looking over at Franky with his confused expression. Lips pursed, eyes closed and a tilt of the head, "What are you talking about Franky?" The others looked at Luffy as if he was pretending to act dumb, no...this is Luffy...he wasn't pretending.

"Luffy...Didn't you notice you were trying to _bite _Franky?" Zoro asked in slight amazement as he squirted shampoo onto Sanji's hair, much to the cooks embarrassment and displeasure.

"Eh? No," Luffy replied while looking up as Ace stopped to get more shampoo. Ace chuckled before he began to lather the younger's hair again, causing a content expression to come onto the small boy's face.

"Luffy does that to everyone who tried to give him a bath when he was little. Even before he ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi he didn't know how to swim. He both feared the water...and loved it..." Ace trailed off while looking down at Luffy with a gentle expression.

"What do you mean 'feared and loved'?" Usopp asked as another bucket of water was dumped over his head. He didn't mind too much this time since he was absorbed in Ace's comments about Luffy. The captain rarely talked about himself, and when he did, it was mostly about how he made a promise to the famous Red-Haired Shanks to deliver his Straw-hat to him.

Ace seemed to pause in thought at the question before giving an answer. "Well...he never really got the hang of swimming, and before he could really ever learn, he ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, so I guess that could be the reason he would fear the water. It's always been his enemy...but also his friend...

"When Ace was little Shanks came to visit our village, Luffy, being the friendly kid he his, met Shanks and his pirate crew before anyone knew if they were good or not," Ace chuckled while the others didn't even bother to look surprised this time.

_'Leave it to Luffy to meet pirates when he doesn't know if they'll destroy a village or not,' _Zoro thought while sighing. '_Sagasa Luffy,' _Sanji thought while the corners of his mouth twitched in the beginning of a smile. One that was quickly wiped away once Zoro poured a bucket of water over him to wash the soap suds off.

"What did you mean by the water being Luffy's friend?" Chopper asked while looking up at Ace while Brook started rinsing the soapy shampoo off the little reindeer's body. Ace looked up at the question having gotten lost in his thoughts and memories. He smiled slightly before answering.

"The water is Luffy's friend, because that's how he met Shanks. The day he arrived at the pier, the two automatically became inseparable. When someone saw Red-Hair Shanks in town, they would always see Luffy next to him," Ace smiled as a gentle expression found it's way onto his features. He was still scrubbing the boy's hair absentmindedly while he continued talking.

"Shanks told Luffy of all the adventures that one could find on the seas. Islands floating in the sky, fish-men that were stronger than most men, huge giants that could tower over any building and of the Pirate King..." Ace trailed off as the others' thoughts quickly flashed to their adventures.

_'Islands floating in the sky'? That sounds like Sky Island!' _Chopper thought as his eyes widened in realization. Usopp seemed to do the same as he also realized another of the stories, _'Huge giants'? He must have been talking about the giants of Elbaf!' _Usopp's thoughts turned to Dorry and Broggy on Little Garden and the two giants he had befriended at Enies Lobby. He had promised all four that he would see Elbaf one day.

The two youngest of the crew were stared at by the others, it could have been due to the fact they had sparkles for eyes and were smiling brightly. They looked similar to Luffy when he smelled another adventure ahead.

Speaking of which, the small D was still zoned out due to Ace scrubbing his hair. He had a expression similar to a purring cat as he started humming a small tune again. He didn't even hear the conversation about him, he didn't really care unless it was about meat, pirates or adventure. Or meat.

"Ace-san, why did Luffy-san want to become the Pirate King?" Brook asked as he poured a bucket of water over Chopper, causing the little one to become quite weak. Ace looked up at the question and smiled widely, a hint of mischief could been seen in his usually tired eyes.

"Why do most people want to become Pirate King?" Ace asked as the others looked a little startled. What kind of question was that.

"Wealth," Zoro replied while Sanji dumped a bucket of water on his head. The swordsman had to clench his fists and count to ten slowly so as not to attack the blonde, who was snickering at the payback he had gotten for earlier.

"Fame!" Usopp said while smiling and raising his arm in a triumph pose. Franky smirked at the boy's behavior before dropping him back in his inner-tube so he could float around the tub more.

"Power," Franky said giving another reason to the question Ace had asked them. He was now lathering his own hair, carefully. He didn't want to mess up his 'Supa' hair-do.

"To find the greatest treasure of all time," Sanji said giving the last of the most common reasons. Ace smiled as Luffy continued humming a tune the others couldn't quite place.

"All true, yet none are the reason Luffy wanted to become Pirate King," the others looked slightly shocked as Ace said this. Why _did_ Luffy want to become Pirate King exactly? Ace continued his story while gently pouring water on the younger's hair before adding shampoo to the back where he had missed a spot, "Luffy wants to become the Pirate King, because he loves adventure. And he thinks the Pirate King is the one who has the most adventures."

The rest of the boys looked shocked as they heard this answer, but slowly smiled as they thought about it. Everyone knew, even the two newer of the crew, that Luffy loved adventure. To most of them, it seemed he could sniff out adventure from an island away.

"Sagasa Luffy," Zoro muttered while smirking as Brook placed Chopper back on his float. The little reindeer smiled gratefully before kicking forward and joining Usopp for a splash fight, that soon included Zoro and Sanji. Brook laughed while Franky sighed and muttered how childish they were. Ace simply chuckled at the crew's antics before glancing down to look at Luffy when he heard the boy start to sing to his tune.

Now, usually Luffy hummed a tune he used for many occasions and just changed the lyrics. Each song usually had many parts. But this song was different. This song sounded upbeat, more similar to a rock song and made you want to play along. This was a song he had learned when he was a little kid. He and Ace had learned the words when Shanks had first started visiting their village. Pretty soon the others started noticing Luffy's humming and quiet singing, causing them to quiet down and listen to their smiling captain.

"We're not gonna be just apart of their game  
We're not gonna be just the victims.  
They're taking our dreams and they tear them apart  
'til everyone's the same  
I've got no place to go  
I've got no where to run  
They love to watch me fall  
They think they know it all," Luffy paused in his singing having finished the first verse. The others were, in lack of a better word, amazed. Their usually clueless and silly captain, was singing a song that would better suit a concert.

"I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always said  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I've gotta prove them wrong  
Me against the world  
It's me against the world!" Here Luffy's voice started to become louder in volume, the others were rapt with attention.

"We won't let them change  
How we feel in our hearts  
We're not gonna let them control us  
We won't let them shove  
All their thoughts in our heads  
And we'll never be like them

"I've got no place to go  
I've got no where to run  
They love to watch me fall  
They think they know it all," the all was drawn out to a couple of breaths before Luffy's smile became as big as ever. He sucked in a huge breath for the next verse.

"I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always said  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I'm gonna prove them wrong  
It's me against the world  
Me against the world!

"Now I'm sick of this waiting  
So come on and take your shot  
You can spit all your insults  
But nothing you say is gonna change us  
You can sit there and judge me  
Say what you want to  
We'll never let you in!" the in was drawn out before the words began again, more feeling than ever before was put into them by the young boy.

"I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always said  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
Me against the world

I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always said  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I've got to prove them wrong  
They'll never bring us down!" the others could tell he was drawing close to the end of his song. Luffy seemed to only speed up in tempo before finishing the song.

"We'll never fall in line  
I'll make it on my own  
Me against the world!" Luffy finished his song while smiling, he glanced up to see the others staring at him, and being the clueless and lovable D he was, "Nan da? Why are you all staring?"

"Nan demo nai," they all muttered before turning away with most of them sweat-dropping. Didn't this kid just realized he was singing, pretty well in fact. A few of them glanced at Ace to see he was smiling and trying not to burst out laughing at the boy's predictable behavior.

"**OI BAKAS! IF YOU DON'T HURRY AND GET OUT OF THERE YOU'RE GONNA END UP LOOKING LIKE PRUNES!" **

The boys seemed to jump at the loud yell that came from the girls room. How could Nami's voice travel so far and _still_ carry all it's menacing tone? Usopp and Chopper were shaking with fear while Sanji was spinning with hearts in his eyes and proclaiming his undying love for his beloved Nami-swan. Zoro watched all this while muttering 'ahou-cook' and 'witch' in a low voice.

Brook and Luffy were the only ones who seemed to laugh at the situation, of course, Brook laughed to hide the fear, Luffy laughed...well...it was Luffy, and that's explanation enough I suppose.

"She's right guys, besides, the anchors here look like their about to drop dead," Franky said while pointing out the four fruit users. Brook and Chopper were close to sinking into the water...again, the latter barely hanging onto his float, while Luffy kept yawning and muttering about flying meat. Ace seemed to be the only Akuma no Mi user unaffected by the water.

_x_

A couple minutes later the guys were dried off and in the middle of changing clothes. They looked through the stack to see that Nami and Michelle had indeed sewed them clothes earlier in the day. The guys shifted through the pile while grabbing clothes that _coincidentally _seemed to fit there personalities perfectly...

Ace had grabbed a black, short-sleeved nightshirt that had red flames traveling along the hem. The back of his shirt had a skull on it, although it had quite the unique design. The skull was that of a regular smiling skull and crossbones, but this one bore Ace's signature hat, the only difference was the top part of the hat was represented by flames. A spade in the background. His pants were a tad too long, and bunched up around his feet. They were similar to a simple pair of gray sweatpants. The only difference was the name _'ACE' _sewn in red and black flamed letters vertically on the right pant leg. He completed the look by donning his orange hat, that had survived the food fight from earlier.

Franky's outfit had remained basically the same, a hawaii-print shirt that had cola bottles as the print, only along with his usual speedo was a pair of black pants with two gray stripes on the side-seams and a light blue number 8 sewn on the left leg. Franky picked them up and read the note that was posted on it. He shuddered before pulling them on. When Usopp and Sanji wanted to know what it said, Franky just said it wasn't meant for children before shuddering again.

Brook laughed at their behavior while pulling on his usual outfit, Nami and Michelle had tailored one of his old outfits to fit his current height. He had placed his hat, the one thing of his that didn't get covered in food, back onto his head.

Zoro just muttered at the idiots behavior while pulling on his own clothes. He was wearing solid, forest-green colored sweatpants with small swords decorating the hem of the pants along with the number two in light green printed on the right leg. His pants also trailed on the floor due to their long length. His shirt was a light green, sleeveless nightshirt that had a skull on the back of it. The skull was crossed with two swords, and held a third one in it's mouth. A green bandana was wrapped around the skulls head with three earrings decorating the side of it's head. He completed his outfit by tying his bandanna around his right arm like usual. It had been one of the few articles of clothing that had survived the food war.

"Nami-swan and Michelle-chwan must have worked so hard on these," Sanji exclaimed, loudly, while pulling on his own set of clothes. He was wearing dark blue sweatpants with pictures of kitchen utensils trailing around the bottom of the hem. His pants didn't trail the floor as much as Ace's or Zoro's but seemed to bunch up just a little bit. His shirt, which he was currently pulling over his head, was a sky blue color and had a sapphire blue 32 sewn on the top right side. On the back of the shirt was a skull with it's own unique decorations. The skull had a gray hat, similar to that of a chef's, and instead of the usual crossbones, had a knife and fork for decoration, the skull was completed with a swirled eyebrow over it's right eye, much like Sanji's real one.

"Nice skull Curly-brow," Zoro muttered while smirking. Sanji seemed about ready to attack before he surprised Zoro by turning around and smiling. Of course, his next words only provoked our poor swordsman even more.

"Right back at ya, Strawberry boy," Sanji replied with a devious smirk. As the two started to engage in another verbal war, Usopp was finishing pulling on his clothes while helping Chopper with his. Usopp was wearing plaid sweatpants with small print slingshots decorating the pants at random intervals. The right leg also had a large number 4 print in pale yellow. He was wearing a grass-green, long-sleeved shirt with a small life-sized picture of his slingshot in the bottom left corner. He also had his _own_ skull design on the back of his shirt. It was a picture of his own unique design he had come up with long ago. His skull was turned to the side and had the same long nose as our story-telling sniper. One of the crossbones was replaced with his trusty slingshot while the bandana decorated the skull's head. It was completed with a small star off to the side of the mouth, much like how he looks when he's telling Chopper a story.

"You wanna fight Moss-head!" Sanji yelled back at Zoro while Zoro smiled wickedly.

"Bring it on, unless your afraid to lose, pip-squeak," Sanji visibly flinched at the comment before running forwards and attacking Zoro. Said swordsman was currently fighting with his fists since he had put his swords in their room, he didn't trust Luffy and Usopp near his swords as they were right now.

"Oi! Knock it off little bros," Franky cried while he tried to find a way to separate the two, he was finding it difficult not to get injured in the process.

"They seem madder than usual," Chopper muttered while watching the three as Usopp pulled a shirt over the small reindeer's head. Chopper was wearing a pair of dark red sweatpants with pictures of bandages and white x's printed at random intervals. A large 6 was printed in white on the left leg. The shirt that had been pulled over his head, courtesy of our sniper, was a light black with a small pink sakura petals trailing the bottom edges of the shirt. It was short-sleeved and had his own skull on the back as well. The skull looked to be one of the more squarer head-shapes while hoof-shaped sakura petals seemed to fly across the skull.

"It's no surprise really," Usopp said while responding to Chopper's statement, "They've been turned into kids and haven't had one of their fights almost all day," Usopp finished his reasoning while setting Chopper's hat on his head. The hat promptly fell over the reindeer's eyes, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah...it was...about...ngh," Usopp and Chopper looked confused at the statement till they saw Luffy sitting in the corner and struggling to pull his shirt over his head. His eyes now seemed to look like Ace's usual tired eyes making the two look even more alike.

"D-Daijoubu Luffy?" Usopp asked hesitantly as he watched Luffy look at him after a few seconds, both Usopp and Chopper sweat-dropped as Luffy seemed to struggle to answer the question.

"H-H...haaaiii," he finally managed to draw out before falling on his side before blinking sleepily and laughing, "Shishishi...I fell, aha ha..." By now the others were also looking at Luffy worried. Franky raised an eyebrow at Luffy's behavior while holding the backs of Zoro and Sanji's shirts, one in each hand. Said two boys were also looking at Luffy curiously, their fight momentarily forgotten.

"Err..Luffy? You alright?" Zoro asked while trying to break free of Franky's grip. He wasn't trying as hard since he was concerned with their unusual-acting captain

"Hai, you look pale Luffy-san," Brook said while leaning forward, a look of concern showing in his eyes, ah, although he has no eyes. Skull JO~KE! (It's late, I'm sick and tired, please spare me your wrath...)

"Maybe he's sick," Usopp muttered while raising his hand to his chin and taking on a thoughtful expression. Chopper looked at Usopp before his eyes widened in panic.

"Eh? Luffy's sick? DOCTOR!" the reindeer cried while running in circles till he ran into Usopp. He looked up dizzily from the floor while still muttering for a doctor.

"Daijoubu daijoubu," Ace said while bending down and helping Luffy into a sitting position, "He used to always act like this when we were kids and he got sleepy," Ace finished while helping Luffy slip his shirt over his head. He was wearing bark-brown (yes, _bark_ not dark) sweatpants with pictures of skulls and straw-hats splashed at random intervals. The number 56 was printed on the right leg in big white numbers. The rubber-boy's shirt was a light-red, long-sleeved shirt with the number one in blue letters on the bottom left corner, and the picture of the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan's jolly roger on his back.

"I'm fine," Luffy whined, although his words came out slurred and his eyes were barely opened. Ace chuckled as he placed the boys straw-hat on his head.

"Hai hai, you're not sleepy one bit are you?" Ace asked with a smirk as Luffy yawned and nodded before replying.

"Not..one...bit..." he trailed off as the others tried not to laugh at how he was acting. Ace picked the younger D up before adjusting him to where the boy's arms where clenched around his shirt, head leaning against the elder's chest.

"Yohoho, maybe we should go to bed mina," Brook voiced while keeping quiet so as not to wake Luffy, who seemed to be close to entering a deep sleep.

"Yeah, we have to talk to that weird pink-headed girl tomorrow anyways," Franky agreed while setting Sanji and Zoro down, who had stopped their fighting for now so as not to wake Luffy, but that didn't stop them from mouthing insults back and forth.

"But..how do we get out, the door's locked?" Usopp asked as they all turned towards the door when they heard a click. A few moments later the door swung open to revel the key in the lock and no one there.

"K-Kowai," Usopp muttered while a few of the others noticed pink petals floating towards the wooden floor.

_x_

A few minutes later the guys were walking downstairs towards their room. Usopp was now carrying Chopper since the small reindeer had fallen asleep when they were leaving the bathroom. Sanji and Zoro were still mouthing insults to each other while Ace trailed behind the group chuckling softly so as not to wake the boy in his arms.

Eventually the guys reached the first floor where Franky stepped aside as soon as he opened the door, so as not to get run over by the running boys that had been behind him. As soon as everyone had entered the room, Usopp was the one who spotted a big problem.

"Oi mina, how are we all gonna sleep if there's 6 beds and 8 of us?" Usopp asked while a nervous smile fixed itself upon his face. The other boys seemed to pause in what they were doing and freeze in place. _6 beds, 8 people, _the thoughts reverberated in the boys' heads till they were pounding.

"How about we just draw straws?" Luffy complained from Ace's arms before hopping down. He startled a few of the others who thought he had been asleep, Chopper too woke up at the noise and rubbed his eyes while still clinging to Usopp.

"I agree with Luffy!" The others seemed to accept the idea, no violence, and it was a luck of the draw, so no cheating.

"Alright, whoever get's the shortest straws have to share a bed with someone or sleep in the floor," Franky said while holding out a handful of straws. Everyone nodded their heads before drawing their straws. Having the good luck they always have, Ace and Luffy both drew the long straws. Brook and Zoro also drew two of the long straws. Everyone looked towards the four remaining. Sanji was smiling slightly and Usopp also seemed happy, that meant one thing...

"So the two losers are Franky and Chopper," Zoro said while smirking a little. Chopper seemed close to tears while looking up at the others.

"Come on buddy, you can sleep with me," Usopp said smiling while Chopper tackled him in a hug.

"A-Arigatou Usopp!" Chopper cried in a loud voice before quieting down so he didn't wake the girls.

"Hai hai, now that that's decided, I'm going to sleep," Luffy muttered grumpily while walking over to the beds. He quickly stretched his arms before wrapping them around a post and sling-shooting himself into the air. He did a small flip before landing on top of the bed safely. He than proceeded to collapse onto his pillow. Within moments small snores could be heard from the passed-out boy, he had fallen asleep before his head had even touched the pillow.

"Well...he doesn't seemed to be affected by this mess," Sanji muttered while climbing into this own bed, after using a chair to crawl his way up the sheets. Zoro chuckled at the sight before a hissed insult was thrown his way. Zoro was about to fight back before Franky interrupted them.

"Fight tomorrow, I want to sleep tonight," he muttered while lifting Zoro up by the back of his shirt and throwing him onto his own bunk. Zoro looked a little surprised before he saw a mouthed insult from Sanji out of the corner of his eye, the two were fighting yet again...Although this time, no one bothered to stop them, they _were _being quiet, so why bother?

"Good night, mina," Chopper whispered happily as he jumped onto Usopp's bed, the older boy right behind him. Both soon settled into comfortable positions, and snores were added to the already snoring Luffy and Brook.

"Good night," Ace responded quietly while smiling and climbing into the only bed left, which was directly under Luffy's top bunk. Franky sighed before throwing a blanket on the floor and collapsing on it before he too quickly fell asleep.

With the gentle rocking of the ship and the peaceful sound of the guys snoring and murmuring, the others were quick to fall asleep into peaceful dreams, all except one that was...


	15. Nightmares and Lullabys

**Chapter 13 ~ Fretful Nightmare and Peaceful Lullaby~**

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**x**

**o**

**x**

"_Oi mina!" Luffy shouted as he ran forward. The crew had just docked on another island and the others were ahead of Luffy by a good amount, leaving the rubber-boy to try and catch-up to them._

"_Come on Lu, hurry up!" Luffy looked up to see Ace was waving and calling for him from the top of the hill, standing next to the rest of his nakama._

"_Ah, Ace!" Luffy yelled while running forward with renewed energy. He reached out his hand to grab his brother so he would slow down and he could catch up, but nothing was there. Luffy slowed to a stop as he looked around and saw nothing but inky blackness that seemed to go on forever in all directions, "N-Nani?"_

"_Hmhmhm, quite the interesting creature aren't you. Even when asleep, you dream of adventure and your precious _nakama._" Luffy spun around at the sound of a voice, but he saw nothing but inky darkness once again, but he did hear a _swish_ of something huge and the _click click_ of metallic claws._

"_W-Who are you?" Luffy asked while cursing the stutter in his voice. He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to worry. His nakama were no where, his brother had just disappeared and that voice...it sounded too creepy for anything human._

"_Who indeed?" the voice asked in a teasing tone, only to Luffy, it sounded much worse. The voice seemed to carry the sound of a vicious and angry animal, but it's voice also sounded similar to that of a young child's. It was starting to scare the usually fearless rubber-boy._

"_Nan da? What the heck are you talking about? Where's Ace?" Luffy asked while spinning around in circles and trying to locate the mysterious voice and it's owner. A strange, wicked laugh sounded off once again. Although this time, it seemed to come from everywhere at once._

"_Ace? Oh, that's right. He's your brother isn't he? Well, your adopted brother anyways..." Luffy turned to the right to catch a glimpse of a glint of yellow eyes. They were sickly pale and had a nasty glow to them. The pupil was slanted and similar to a cats, while the eyes themselves seemed to glow with a demonic light. Luffy shivered before the eyes disappeared as fast as they had come before the beast continued._

"_So...you wish to dream of your precious brother? Well than, I think I can help you with that. Let's take a look at the past," Luffy felt as if arctic cold water was slowly trickling down his back as goosebumps started to crawl their way up his arms and legs. Hair stood on end as he felt warm, sticky breath blow from behind him. Luffy's face cringed as the stench hit his nostrils. The smell was like that of...decaying bodies and fresh blood..."Shall we?"_

"_The past?" Luffy asked hesitantly. He didn't know what this thing was, only that the thing's stench was beginning to make him nauseous as his stomach churned uncomfortably and his eyes began to water._

"_Yes child, the more recent past I believe," the beast spoke again as sharp taps of what sounded like finely sharpened claws echoed around the space they occupied. The sound was soon drowned out by the sound of yelling, screaming, and every sound of battle imaginable, Luffy should know...he was in one not too long ago, "Enjoy your dreams young one, or should I say, nightmares..." the last word was drawn out in a menacing tone that made Luffy shiver with...fear?_

"_In the end, he got hurt by his idiotic son which got cheated by some cheap talk! And he is giving his life to protect this bunch of people! Ain't that the emptiest life ever?" _

_Luffy looked up in shock. He was surrounded by some of Ace's nakama that he had met at Marine-ford, but...that meant...Luffy looked around to see fires raging everywhere and sounds of battle and explosion met his ears. He looked around in shock before his eyes widened. The noise seemed to dim as he realized what had happened. He was back at the battle, back when Ace had almost been executed by the marines. _

"_...Urusai...!"_

"_Don't get provoked by his talk Ace! Get back here!" Luffy glanced at the guy who had spoken to his brother. He forgot his name but he looked familiar. Luffy shrugged it off and looked back to where his brother had spoken. _

"_Pops gave us a place we belong to! You people will never understand Pop's greatness!" Ace yelled at the top of his lungs while his hands clenched into fists. Flames were starting to lick their way up his arms. Luffy looked on in horror, this was what had happened last time. '_No Ace, don't fight back, just run!' _Unshed tears started to gather in Luffy's eyes as he saw the admiral answer._

"_Humans that don't walk on the right path have no living value! THE WORLD HAS NO PLACE FOR YOU PIRATES! WHITEBEARD IS A FAILURE GOING TO HIS DEATH! THIS SUITS A GENERAL OF A BUNCH OF SCUMS!"_

"_**WHITEBEARD IS THE ONE WHO OPENED THIS ERA OF PIRATES! **Ace screamed as he ran forward with flames surrounding his fist and blazing strongly, Luffy could only watch in horror as the past replayed itself in front of his eyes, "**THE NAME OF THIS ERA! IS CALLED WHITEBEARD!"**_

"_Ace, stop it!" Luffy heard someone shout for Ace to stop, but Luffy's speech abilities seemed to be non-existent as he watch Ace's fist connect with the admiral's, whose own fist was surrounded in burning magma._

"_Ace!"_

"_Ace actually...! Got burned!" _

_Luffy heard the shouts and exclamations of surprise, but all he could do was stare in horror as Ace keeled on the ground, his fist clutched against his chest in pain. Luffy seemed to suddenly go numb as the battle around him seemed to dim in sound to where he was struggling to listen to what was being said. He heard the admiral talking about fire and magma, but other than that Luffy couldn't tell what was going on._

"_A...ce...!" Luffy repeated the word he had spoken than as he tried to yell his brother's name but he couldn't seem to get enough air in his lungs to breathe, let alone yell. He fell forward on his hands and knees as he heard Jimbei shout something about being at his limit behind him. Luffy didn't even take notice of the fish-man as he saw a piece of paper float down in front of him and towards the ground._

"_Ah, Ace's vivre card," Luffy muttered as he found himself repeating the exact words he had during the battle last time. All sound disappeared and time seemed to stop as the small piece of paper floated towards the ground. Luffy could see the admiral's lips moving in speech, but he didn't catch a word of it. He was just too tired..._

"_-Even if I let someone else get away **I WILL NEVER LET THE TWO OF YOU GO! **Take a good look..."_

"_...Hey! Wait! Luffy!" Luffy's head snapped up at the sound of his name being yelled by his brother, he could hear the desperation and worry in his tone. Luffy saw Ace's face out of the corner of his eye, a look of fear portrayed clearly. Luffy could hardly take in Ace's expression, his brother was never afraid, of anything! These thoughts quickly whirled through his head as he glanced up. He saw the magma-covered fist heading straight towards him._

_Luffy leaned back as the fist came closer, knowing he couldn't dodge the attack, and knowing he would die if that punch hit him. He barely had time to register these facts before he suddenly saw Ace standing in front of him, panting heavily with Akainu's magma-fist protruding from his stomach. Luffy's eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of him._

_The whole battlefield seemed to have stopped moving, breathing, as if a pause button was hit. The silence was deafening and seemed to encompass every pirate and marine there. The silence was suddenly broken by Ace's cough, and the small hiss of his vivre card quickly turning to ash and smoldering at the edges. Luffy could only stare at Ace in shock from his spot on the ground._

_It seemed as if someone had suddenly hit the play button as the whole battleground erupted into shouts and screaming. All of them were screaming one thing, _He got Ace_...Everyone rushed forward as they attacked Akainu, cannon fire, gunshots, devil-fruit abilities- all were useless against the logia-user. Luffy saw Akainu say something before getting ready to punch Ace again, that's when he got mad..._

"_**STOP~~~!**" Luffy shouted as he finally found the ability to speak. Luffy's eyes seemed to glow with hatred at the admiral and worry for his brother. A few of Ace's nakama near him stared at the intensity that the younger D had around him. He heard Jimbei say something behind him before moving and shifting into an appropriate position for some of his fish-men karate skills and blocking the admiral from attacking Ace. Luffy saw the two talking and yelling, but he couldn't seem to register what they were saying. His thoughts and senses were all focused on his swaying, and barely standing brother._

_Luffy barely even noticed that two of Ace's nakama rushed forward and attacked the admiral. One had flaming wings and talons while the other was using a sword. He heard the admiral say something about Haki, but he took no notice. The only words that seemed to register were the ones the swordsman said...'_-too late for fire fist,' _As soon as Luffy heard these words, his thoughts seemed to grind to a halt. Too late? What were they talking about? Ace _couldn't_ die! He had promised Luffy he wouldn't _ever_ leave him!_

_The battle raged on around him, but all appeared as blurry figures to the shocked boy. He watched as his brother collapsed and started falling towards the ground. Luffy quickly caught him as his hand went to the elder's back to steady him. He lifted his hand up to look at it after he felt warm liquid seep though it. His eyes widened as he saw all the blood that had come off on his hand._

_Luffy's common sense seemed to abandon him. He knew what had happened next, Ace had told him he was proud of him and he knew his dream would come true. He knew that once the battle was over two mysterious girls had come up and healed Ace after the two D's had collapsed from exhaustion. He knew Ace was on the Thousand Sunny with him right now...but the next words he heard Ace mutter, brought all common sense crashing down around him._

"_Luffy...my one regret...was having you for a little brother..." Luffy seemed to freeze, he didn't breathe, blink, talk...nothing. Surely Ace was joking, he wasn't serious! Was he? Luffy looked down at Ace's eyes and saw a cold, dark and menacing look in them. A look that seemed to penetrate his very core and fill it with fear. He didn't even notice the dark, eerie laughter that was starting to surround him. Luffy could feel his eyes beginning to water at his brother's rejection._

"_Wahahaha! What a show that was, hey kid?" the animal/child-like voice from earlier crowed as wicked laughter filled the air. Luffy looked around him to see he was back in the black room from before, the battle and Ace having disappeared. His mind was in too much turmoil to think clearly anymore. His arms were still held out as they were when he was holding Ace, as if he was unable to move. He was thrown into even more panic when he finally saw the creature that had been talking to him step out of the shadows._

_Pale, sickly yellow eyes seemed to laugh at the boy as their cat-like pupils became slits. Rough, spiky brown hair seemed to fly in all directions and be sharp enough to inflict damage. Dried blood seemed to coat it's fur and seep into his body. Loud sharp clicks were heard as Luffy saw 5 wicked-black talons instead of fingers. Instead of sharp nails, they seemed to be thick and dull with blood caked on the tips._

_Luffy already felt himself getting nauseous from the stench of blood that hit him, but forced himself to keep looking. The creature was walking towards him on four legs, similar to those of a raccoon, it even looked similar to a raccoon, only this creature seemed to tower higher than Whitebeard himself. It's tail seemed to be made up of pointy and blood-stained hairs that were once brown, but now crimson as the blood that stained them. Pointed ears at the top of the creatures head seemed to twitched in anticipation, red tipped tufts of fur emerging from the top of the ears._

"_W-What are you?" Luffy asked as he fought to not be sick. The stench of rotting flesh and fresh blood was beginning to overwhelm his senses. _

"_Me?" the beast asked as he grinned. Black lips pulled back to show yellow spiked-teeth that had freshly drying blood on them. Saliva started to drip out of the beasts mouth as it stared at the teenaged boy in anticipation, "I'm just a figment of your imagination...or at least...for now I am..." the beast trailed off as one of it's massive paws pushed something towards Luffy. Luffy quickly glanced the coal black paw pads that were cracked with age before he saw Ace's limp body stop in front of him._

"_A-A..." Luffy couldn't even seem to finish his exclamation of horror as he stared at the unmoving body in front of him. Ace's words that Luffy had last heard him utter in his dream began to echo around the room and vibrate in his head. He clutched his head in pain, trying to block out the words that were directed at him by the one he admired above all others._

"_Ace...Ace...Ace," this was all Luffy could mutter as his senses became overwhelmed by the monsters laughter, stench, and the words that wouldn't leave his head..._

x

o

_x_

"**ACEEE!" **

The boys jumped as they heard the name of the flame-user screamed at the top of someone's lungs. Usopp and Chopper lept up before clinging to each other and shaking in fear while Brook's head shot up and collided with the bed above him causing him to bend his head in pain. The occupant above him awoke from both the yell and the sudden banging beneath him causing him to mutter about idiots, all of this finally caused Sanji to look around groggily and mutter something about Nami. Ace somehow managed to remain asleep through it all.

"Oi, what's going on-ITEE!" Franky shouted loudly as Luffy fell off the top bunk and landed on top of Franky, both their heads hitting each others' with a distinct thunk. This scream finally caused both Zoro and Ace to fully wake up asking what was wrong. The former starting to mutter even more indecent words, the latter looking around with concern having heard Luffy's screams.

After a few moments of gaining clarity they all looked at Luffy and was about to yell at him and tell him off, till they saw the wild and scared look dominating the boy's eyes. Usopp was about to ask if he was okay, when the boy suddenly broke into loud, wracking sobs that shook his whole body while crying at the top of his lungs-which was quite loud since this is Luffy we're talking about. The others were shocked for a few seconds, what could have scared Luffy this badly?

"Oi! What's wrong!" Nami asked as she ran into the room. She had to yell over Luffy's crying while covering her ears. Michelle was behind her and was clutching Kayla tightly against her chest. One of her eyes were closed as the volume of Luffy's screams hit her. Robin too also had a pained expression and was slightly covering her ears as she viewed the situation.

Usopp and Chopper were covering their ears while hiding under the covers and muttering unintelligible cries, Brook and Franky were doing their best to try and calm Luffy down, unsuccessfully, while Zoro and Sanji had jumped down from their top bunks and were heading over towards Nami and the other girls to explain the situation.

"Luffy suddenly woke up screaming before he fell from his bed-"

"Than he landed on Franky and a few seconds later burst into tears!" both Sanji and Zoro yelled over the noise as they took turns explaining what had happened. The two looked at each other in annoyance but decided not to fight about it right now. Nami nodded in understanding of the situation as she looked at the crying Luffy in annoyance and worry.

"How do we get him to calm down!" Nami yelled loudly as the others shrugged. Michelle was clutching Nami's gown tightly with a clenched fist that was beginning to turn white while Robin stood behind the two girls and started to smile as she watched the scene in front of her. The elder D had climbed down front his bed and moved to sit on his knees in front of Luffy. He than reached down and started to gently rub the little ones' hair like he had done earlier that day.

All three of the kids near Robin were thinking of just duct taping the boys mouth shut and asking him what was wrong, when the crying suddenly seemed to trail off into soft hiccups and dry sobs. They all looked to see Ace was kneeling in front of the boy and was gently running his hand through the youngers hair.

"N-Nii-chan!" Luffy cried as he tackled Ace before wrapping his small arms around the elder. Ace just hugged him back while whispering comforting words to the younger. Luffy just kept hiccuping as small dry sobs seemed be wracking his body. He clutched Ace tighter as the elder shifted into a more comfortable position for them both.

"Luffy? Daijoubu-ka?" Usopp asked hesitantly as he crawled out from under the top half of the blankets he and Chopper had been hiding under. Chopper was hiding underneath Usopp and peering out from his arms as the two looked towards where the young D was sitting on his brother's lap. The others watched as Luffy looked up at hearing Usopp's question before looking at all of them with blank and confused eyes.

"It hurts," they heard him barely whisper as he closed his eyes and hugged Ace even harder. The elder D was starting to worry at Luffy's strange and unusual behavior. The others watched worryingly as Luffy seemed to have trouble breathing before whispering again, "It hurts...make it stop Nii-chan..."

Ace felt Luffy's nails dig into his skin, but he didn't seem to feel the pain or decided not to take notice. He watched as Luffy seemed to take deep breaths as if he couldn't breathe properly. More tears started to well up in the boy's eyes as he hiccuped softly.

"What hurts Luffy-san?" Michelle asked quietly as she walked up to the two brothers on the floor, Kayla walking behind her. The others watched as Michelle stopped in front of the two, she barely reached Ace's shoulder height when he was sitting down and she was standing up.

"Everything..." Luffy muttered as his eyes squeezed shut even tighter. The others looked to see Ace seemed to be in as much pain as the boy in his arms was. They all knew those two shared a bond stronger than most brothers.

"What do you mean everything hurts?" Michelle asked while she looked at Luffy. Her eyes seemed to be saying volumes, but no one could tell what they were saying. Zoro watched Michelle curiously as Kayla meowed softly beside her. The two both watched as Luffy's fists clenched and un-clenched Ace's shirt before he finally looked up at her.

"I-I don't know...just that everything hurts," Luffy whispered quietly before sniffing and hiccuping again. Michelle watched as Ace reached up to his bed and grabbed a blanket before wrapping it around the boy's shivering frame and hugging him closer than before. Zoro and Michelle watched in surprise as Ace started humming a soft lullaby that seemed to fill the entire room.

Robin watched silently as she saw Brook pick up his violin and begin to play along to Ace's humming, soon the quiet lullaby seemed to fly around the entire room and calm the others' frantic thoughts and tightened nerves. The others, especially Zoro, looked up surprised when they heard Michelle start to sing along to the lullaby.

"Mezame wo matsu kuni no mukashi no hanashi, sasagemashou mune ni yadoru hikari, hoshi ni naru kibou ashita ga mieru, ai suru hito yo mattete okure..." Michelle sang softly as the violin seemed to match her rhythm perfectly. Her soft calming voice seemed to echo throughout the room as Nami also started to sing along to a long forgotten song.

"Let us offer up to the light, that resides in our hearts. A old tale of a cou~ntry, awaiting it's awakening. Our wishes become stars, which can see tomor~row. M~y love, please wait for me..." Nami's clear, crystal voice captivated Sanji as he stared at Nami, a light blush tinting his cheeks. Zoro saw this, but decided to tease him later, he was feeling so tired...

"Kokoro no mado ni tatsu, sadame no yokogao. Tomoshimashou yume wo, mamoru hikari. Hoshi wa tada hitori, erabe to tsugeru. Ai suru hito ga watashi wo, yobeba kawaru..." Ace started to sing the next verse of the lullaby as his rich voice added to the song's varied and soothing melody. The others in the room were starting to visibly relax at the comforting tune.

Chopper and Usopp were yawning widely as they struggled to keep their eyes open, the former starting to fall asleep against the later. Sanji and Zoro were starting to sink to the floor before leaning against each other, back-to-back, both decided to never speak of this moment again. Franky had to struggle to suppress a yawn, but failed anyways, as he saw Robin smiling softly out of the corner of his eyes. Nami was rubbing her eyes as she moved to sit beside Sanji unconsciously. Michelle seemed unaffected by the soothing music as she watched Luffy start to relax in Ace's arms. She also watched how all the others were interacting with each other. She smiled widely as Robin began to sing the next part of the song.

"The profile of the destined one, is stan~ding in my mind's eye. Let us ignite th~e light, which protects our drea~ms. The stars inform me to choose only one, if the person I love cal~ls me, I~ wi~ll cha~nge..." Robin's soothing voice added to the peaceful lullaby as the others were now struggling to stay awake through this long forgotten tale.

Chopper and Usopp fell against each other with soft snores coming from them within seconds, while Sanji and Zoro were now starting to let out little murmurs as they drifted off into sleep. Nami was leaning against Sanji's right side as her eyes slowly fluttered closed. Brook was smiling as he continued to soothe his nakama with this peaceful tune...iie...his family...

Michelle let out a small smile as she saw Luffy's death-grip around his brother finally start to loosen as he fell asleep against the elder's chest. Ace was in the same position as his little brother, and was close to falling asleep, but he forced himself to stay up just a little longer, just long enough to make sure Luffy would sleep peacefully till morning.

"Uruwashiku tachi mau, kegarenaki hane. Seoimashou miko no, inochi no hikari. Hoshi ni naru tame ni, umarete wa naranu. Ai suru hito ni, idakarete nemure..." Michelle softly sang the verse, knowing the song was reaching it's end soon. She felt her eyes finally grow heavy as she yawned quietly. She smiled softly before setting Kayla in Luffy's lap and smiling at a puzzled Ace, "For luck," she whispered while smiling widely and slightly skipping over to stand next to Robin.

Franky meanwhile, had finally managed to put Zoro and Sanji in their respective beds as Robin picked up Nami before blooming a few arms and tucking them all in under their blankets. All the boys were soon snoring softly as Brook played the violin softly now. Robin was walking towards the door as Franky yawned widely, sleep starting to affect both of them also. Ace smiled as he softly sang the last verse of the song.

"Let us shou~lder the~ light, of the priestess' li~fe. Up~on our gracefully, da~ncing wings of pu~rity. Go~ to slee~p in the arms, of~ the one~ you~ love, who~ in order for you~ to become a star...should not have been bo~rn..." Ace's voice slowly trailed off as the violin's tune became soft and mysterious. Ace found his head falling forward before he felt himself gently picked up and placed on top of his own bed.

He struggled to keep his eyes open as he saw two hands blossom and pull the blanket over him and Luffy, before disappearing in a swirl of petals. He glanced down at Luffy who was fast asleep against his side. His eyes closed softly as he felt Kayla meow gently before crawling into the little gap between Luffy and Ace.

Robin smiled as Brook ended his song. The elder of the crew smiled as Franky and Brook climbed into their own respective beds before quickly succumbing to sleep. Robin adjusted the sleeping Nami in her arms before glancing down at the smiling Michelle beside her.

"Do you hear it Robin-san?" she asked softly as she tugged on the elder's shirt before closing her eyes and listening to the supposed silence of the room.

"Hai...it's still playing softly," Robin whispered back as she took Michelle's hand and guided her down the small hall and toward the girl's room. As she left the room, she smiled softly. For if you listened carefully, you could still hear the gentle lullaby echoing around the whole ship...and luring it's occupants to sleep with it's calming, melodious tone...

"Good night, my otouto..." Ace whispered as he felt sleep finally drag him under as he tightened his grip against the small boy beside him.

"Good night Nii-chan..." Luffy whispered softly as he too fell asleep inside the elder's warm and gentle embrace, one hand clutched his nii-chan's shirt tightly, while the other held the small kitten resting beside him.

Both D's slept with a smile that night, that stayed there until morning. As did everyone else, the smiles seemed to speak volumes of the warmth that held these people together, and the bonds they shared. Bonds that would soon be tested by creatures such as the one Luffy had met in his dream...

_x_

o

x

"Are you ready, Tara? Their test begins tomorrow," a gentle and kind voice spoke. Tara looked at the 4 pairs of bright eyes that looked at her from the dark room they were in. The small, clear pond in front of them showed a picture of the sleeping Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan.

"Hai!" Tara voiced confidently before a wicked laughter interrupted her. The bright pairs of eyes all looked towards the back of the dark room to see sickly yellow eyes blink back at them.

"I'll be looking forward to watching you and your test," the beast said, the word test seemed to come out in a fierce hiss, causing Tara to shiver slightly. The boy named Yuki seemed to slightly growl at the beast as a shuffling of feet revealed he moved to stand between Tara and the beast in front of them.

"Be gone from this place demon! You know the rules!" the once gentle and kind voice had said, but now it was full of courage and slight rage at the monster's presence.

"Indeed I do Cecelia...indeed I do," the voice trailed off and disappeared, along with it's accompanying laughter and nauseating stench. The other beings in the room let out a breath of relief before a small noise of anger was heard from a pair of bright pink eyes.

"_Foul beast...what are you planning..." the one named 'Cecelia' muttered to herself as she stared at where the beast had been standing. The others looked at Cecelia as they felt unease start to feel them. No good would come of that demon's visit to them...no good at all..._


	16. Morning WakeUp Call

**Chapter 14 ~ Morning Wake Up Call**

**x**

**o**

**x**

"**ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" **

"Nngh..." This seemed to be the unanimous groan that emerged from the boy's cabin at the loud shouts of their mikan-loving navigator. Although, their groans were about to be quickly changed to screams of terror as rapid footsteps belonging to a little girl quickly approached the boy's room.

"**GET UP YOU LAZY BUMS!" **Nami screeched at the top of her lungs as she stood menacingly in the door frame of the men's room, the actual door currently being embedded in the wall behind it, small spider-web cracks surrounding it. Franky groaned softly, knowing he would have to fix that later, although right now, he was more worried about the furious little girl in the doorway who had a demonic and foreboding aura floating around her.

"Hai Nami-swaan!" Sanji called out dramatically at hearing Nami's calls, sitting up in his bunk, still half-asleep. His eyes were hardly more than slits, but they certainly were open enough to see the green-haired boy laying on the floor. The small chef laughed loudly while pointing at the groaning swordsman, who had been sleeping at the edge of his bunk, being knocked out by the abrupt movement Brook caused when he sat straight up in surprise at the sound of Nami's ahem, _gentle _wake up calls.

And of course, the loud bang that had resulted from Zoro's fall, caused the small and startled Chopper to jump up, already anxious and full of fear from Nami's scream. The nervous reindeer than became frightened at all the noise, and still half asleep, kicked Usopp in fright, accidentally of course. This caused said sniper to be tossed off his side of the bed in surprise, landing right on top of Franky's chest.

Of course the chain reaction of the wake-up call continued when the ship-wright, who had gone back to sleep, sat bolt upright in shock, causing Usopp to tumble into his lap upside down with a _oomph_ before both began groaning. One about Chopper's powerful kicking skills, another about all the bruises and bumps on his head caused by falling boys by now.

"Good. Looks like you're all awake," Nami smirked while eying the work before her. Three of the boys were on the floor moaning in pain, one was laughing and pointing, one shaking on the bed in fear, one looking around in confusion, and the other two boys were probably still asleep. Some movement behind her caused her to glance back and see Robin and Michelle walking up to stand beside the navigator. They had decided to wait until Nami calmed down some before entering.

"What the hell do you want sea-hag," Zoro muttered while rubbing the new bump on his head, he blinked in confusion for a second at the squeaky sounds coming from his mouth. He did _not _squeak. Period. It took him all of three seconds to remember what had happened yesterday. His thoughts were quickly driven out of his head though when he had to roll to the side to dodge a furious down-kick from the small chef.

"Don't you dare insult Nami-san baka-marimo!" Sanji yelled in anger while glaring fiercly at the smirking swordsman. He too had remembered all that had happened yesterday-being changed into a kid, losing his cigarettes, and having to deal with a worse-than-usual Luffy. Even through all this, even if they were in a crisis, he _still_ wouldn't forgive Zoro for insulting _his _Nami _'Wait, ...when did Nami-san become mine?' _Sanji blinked in confusion while Zoro smirked at the distracted cook.

He quickly crawled towards his and Brook's current beds before reaching his hand under and feeling around. He smiled widely before quickly pulling out two of his swords-he _knew_ not to trust Luffy in his current state, heck, he barely trusted regular Luffy with his swords, now...he didn't even wanna _think_ about it.

The swordsman silently unsheathed his swords-Wado Ichimonji in the right, and Shuusui in his left. He grinned widely before quickly charging at the cook with his swords gripped tightly. He may be a child right now, but he could still fight just as fierce. Right before striking, he positioned his swords to where the two were crossed, before quickly lashing them out, knowing the cook would block the attack.

Zoro smirked as his assumptions proved true, his attack was blocked by a swift kick to the swords, right where the two connected and crossed each other. The small swordsman was now pushing his two swords against Sanji's foot, both having smiles and killer eyes on their face. Before the two could get any further in their usual morning fight however, they were soon laying face-first on the ground with large, smoking red bumps protruding from each of their heads.

"Stop fighting!" Nami yelled while standing over the two, back hunched over and fists clenched with her arms in a x position, a testament to the fact she had knocked the two boys to the ground in anger. As if they had enough to deal with without those two idiots getting into more fights. At least, that's how Nami saw it. She straightened her back before fixing her sleeping gown and walking back towards Robin.

"Now, we have currently been turned into children, which is _not _something I want to deal with. So we are going to start our day as normal as possible until that Tara girl shows up. Than, we are going to force her to change us back to normal, and also get Michelle-chan's memories back, got it?"

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding at the navigator's short speech. They knew when not to mess with their fiery-tempered navigator, and this was one of those times. Sanji agreed wholeheartedly while Zoro just glared at the ground in annoyance. Brook and Franky agreed also, nodding their heads quickly so as not to anger the girl. Usopp, who was still in Franky's lap, upside down, was clutching Chopper-the small reindeer had jumped down in fright earlier-both were nodding in agreement with fright-filled eyes.

Robin watched the scene while raising her hand to her mouth to hide a small smile. Michelle was standing by Robin, slightly hiding behind her, and had watched the interactions with interest before speaking up.

"Ne, Nami-san, where's Ace-kun and Luffy-san?" Michelle asked quietly while tugging on Nami's gown and getting the 8-year-old's attention. Nami looked down at the girl before what she said had registered.

"Ah that's right! Where are those two?" Nami muttered while looking around. Franky was the first one to notice the small lump under the blankets on one of the lower bunk-beds.

"I think Mugiwara and Flame-boy are still asleep," Franky spoke up while pointing towards the lump covered spot on the bed. Nami looked at the bed before her eyes twitched in anger, she slowly walked over to the bed before pausing beside it, a dangerous smile on her face. She grabbed the underside of the hanging bunk-bed, and tipped it on it's side with a strength that surprised the others.

"_Wake __**up**_ you idiots!" Nami hissed in frustration while the two D's toppled out of the bed with cries of annoyance. The others watched as Ace slowly sat up up before rubbing his eyes and yawning widely. He had obvious bed-hair, which became even worse as he ran a hand through it. He blinked slowly before looking around in slight confusion.

"Are you okay Ace-kun?" Michelle asked while looking at the confused boy. Ace looked at where the voice came from, his eyes became clear and understanding as he pieced together the puzzle when he saw the now mini-Michelle.

"Aa, just tired," he yawned before a black kitten pounced on top of his head and purred loudly. Ace raised an eyebrow at the active kitten but just ignored it while trying to wake Luffy up, who was still asleep, "Oi Luffy, it's morning, wake up!"

Ace managed to get Luffy in a sitting position before gently shaking the boy back and forth by his shoulders, the younger's head merely lolled to the side before he mumbled unintelligible comments.

"Yohoho, looks like Luffy-san wasn't that much of a morning person when he was younger," Brook chuckled with slight amusement while standing up and stretching. A few cracks were heard before he returned to his normal up-right position.

"You have no idea," Ace muttered, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. The others smiled at the comment, they all knew Luffy hated waking up unless it involved adventure, or breakfast.

"Matakun...Well, might as well just get the day started," Nami sighed before turning to the others, "Sanji-kun, you go start on breakfast, Brook you can help him."

"Ah, no need Nami-san, I'll be fine on my own," Sanji said while standing up and brushing some dirt off his pajamas.

"Yeah, but can you reach the spice cabinet?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow before Sanji seemed to become quiet before sighing, a look of defeat on his face.

"Come on Brook," Sanji muttered while walking out the door and heading towards the kitchen, the, now-shorter, skeleton walking behind him. The cook may have been proud, but he knew when he needed help.

"Yohoho, hai Sanji-san," Brook replied before grabbing his hat and cane before following the dejected chef. Nami tried to hide a smile at the cute behavior. '_Wha...cute?'_ As soon as the thought registered, Nami pushed it away angrily before turning to the others.

"Usopp, you're on lookout duty for now, warn us if you see any marines or other ships, right now I don't think we can do a good job of defending ourselves."

"Ryokai!" Usopp saluted before jumping up, setting Chopper back in Franky's lap before running towards the crow's nest. He was glad to take look-out duty, this way he could find some time to modify his sling-shot, since he couldn't use Kabuto as of right now...

"Good, Chopper, I want you to take all of our blood samples and see if there's anything wrong with us besides our ages decreasing," Nami said while turning toward the reindeer. Chopper nodded before jumping up and running off towards the infirmary, tripping only once on his way to the door. Nami than turned towards Franky.

"Franky, since we can't set sail right now, since we have no clue where we have to go yet, I want you to work on repairing the wall that...the door broke, than I want you to work on Sunny's defenses. If we are attacked, we're gonna have to rely on Sunny's weapons the most.

Hai!" Franky nodded before standing up. How a door could break a wall he didn't know, but he knew better than to say anything right now. Besides, Nami was right, about the defenses, not the door. If they were attacked, he had to make sure he had a SUPA defense system worked out.

"Zoro, you're gonna help carry some books down for me, Robin and Michelle. Think of it as more training," Nami said while smirking, Zoro looked as if he was about to fight back. But he noticed Nami had _that _look. _Argue and I'll raise your debt to 75% as much as now._ Zoro just got up and sighed before grabbing Wado and tying it to a string around his back. He had to think of some way to carry all of his swords, but this was all he could think of for now.

"Okay, Robin, you and me are gonna see if we can find any records of this girl and what happened to us."

"Hai Navigator-san," Robin said while smiling.

"Alright, Ace, you stay here and try to wake Luffy up," Nami said before grabbing Michelle's hand and walking out the door, Robin and Zoro right behind her. The black kitten on Ace's head jumped off and ran towards the group before looking back and giving an encouraging meow.

"Sure, leave _me _with the hard job," Ace muttered before looking down at the sleeping boy in his arms, "Okay Luffy, you can stop faking now. I know you're awake." For a few seconds Luffy stayed still before opening one of his eyes and laughing. The rubber-boy straightened up with a huge grin on his face.

"How'd ya know I was awake?" he asked while Ace tried not to laugh at the pout in his voice. It was so cute.

"Call it brother's intuition," Ace replied with a smirk before standing up. Luffy scrambled out of the elder's lap before hopping up and down, full of un-spent energy. Ace, sensing the chaos that was sure to come, tried to distract Luffy before he cause any damage on the ship, "So, what do ya wanna do now?"

Luffy paused in thought before grinning widely. He ran towards the far side of the room where a small bookshelf sat, holding some of the boy's favorite books or magazines. Ace watched, puzzled, as Luffy ran over to the bookshelf and started looking for something. He took a step back, having been to close, before resuming his search. He finally smiled before kneeling on the floor and pulling a large book off the bottom shelf, before running back over to Ace.

He struggled to hold up the large book in front of his brother. Ace quickly took the book before it could fall, before reading the cover. He looked back to Luffy to see a small expectant smile and a pleading look in his eyes. He sighed softly before looking back to the book, knowing he was going to agree no matter what.

He studied the thickly bound book, it was covered with worn brown leather and had two faded silver clasps bounding the book. A small rectangle-shaped imprint near the top of the leather surrounded faded gold lettering that still shined if the sun hit the book at just the right angle. Ace read the over of the book before a few memories floated to the surface, memories of him and Luffy outside leaning against a tree, or under the covers during a thunderstorm-having the same book both times. _The Chronicles of Narnia_.

Ace glanced at Luffy's puppy face one more time, the eyes had gotten even bigger if that's possible. He let out a sigh that had traces of laughter before setting the book on the bed behind him. He than swiftly picked up the confused Luffy before setting him next to the book, the younger looked even more confused when he saw a blanket thrown over him.

After a minute or so of fighting with the evil blanket, Luffy managed to get it tangled around him to where it warmed him up, he also saw Ace sitting in front of him with a small smirk, the book resting in his lap. Luffy seemed to brighten instantly letting out a small and happy laugh.

"Which story?" Ace asked with a small smile, that grew even wider when he saw Luffy's huge smile in return. The small boy quickly climbed forward before flipping the book open to a page titled, _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. Ace picked up the book and watched as Luffy climbed into his lap before he began reading.

Franky stood in the doorway, smiling at the sight of the two brothers before him. He slowly backed his way out of the room, careful of the creaking wood, before walking away. He could always patch that wall up later anyways, besides, who would want to ruin a moment as super as this?


	17. GOMEN!

_Yo! Okay, all the chapters are updated and revamped, so go re-read the story and I'll have a chapter up by the end of today. I got this done sooner than I expected. So please re-read and leave feedback at the revamps if you want too, next chapter will be up no later than 10pm eastern standard time tonight! Thank you for your encouragement, understanding, and for giving me 70 reviews! I remember when I just had 10~ I love you all so much, you all gave me reason to continue! Thank you!_


	18. Another Day

Yo! I told you all I would have a chapter up by 10pm. And it's only 7! Ha! I made this one as long as I could to make up for not updating in so long! You may have to re-read the story where it's been so long, and I revamped all the previous chapters. I hope you'll bear with me in this story as I do my best to update! I'm gonna try to upload a chapter every two days, so next upload would be Friday, does that sound okay to you all? I'm really getting into this story so I hope you'll bear with me a little longer!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing but Tara, Michelle, and Kayla. That's it. And their outfits. Now, I should warn you now. This is AU. I repeat AU. One Piece universe AU. Since in the original story Ace is k-ki-kil...no longer there, this is what happens in my story. So good news for the AceLu fangirl, or Ace fangirl in generel. Also, Whitebeard is still alive in this, greatly injured, but alive. As is anyone else central to the story that died in the manga. Call me crazy, ah, pretty soon I'm gonna explain how Ace survived! That involves camo appearence by my fellow fangirl sisters! That's right, Roo-Roo and Eri-Onee-chan! roo17 and eternitybeckons. Their my OP sisters and I'm putting them in here, so you can flame anything but them! Got it! Now, go read and enjoy, soon I'll be answering any questions you might ask in these author comments, so you'll have to read them to figure important things out. Like for example, Tara's challenges invovles the Mugiwaras sailing to various places invovling riddles. You wouldn't have known that till later if you hadn't read this now would you?

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Chapter 15 ~ Just Another Day

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Franky slowly backed his way out of the room while gently closing the door behind him, trying his best not to ruin the wall and door anymore than what it already was. He managed quite well before he finally heard the small click of the lock moving into place. Slowly and carefully backing out, Franky turned around and headed back towards the lower deck, smiling at his _super _success.

Out now teenaged ship-wright carefully adjusted his grip on his favorite tool-box before heading back towards his workshop. Since he couldn't repair the door right now, he might as well as start improving Sunny's defenses. After all, Nami was right. As they were right now, they wouldn't be able to go up against a whole battleship of marines-which they somehow encountered frequently with someone like Luffy as a captain.

Franky was just thinking of all the possible ways he could improve the gaol cannon before a sudden pile of clothes was dropped in front of him. The cerulean-haired teen blinked before quickly catching the clothes out of reflex while being careful not to drop any of his tools. He looked confusingly towards the 14-year-old Robin in front of him.

"Franky-san, Nami-chan wanted me to give you one of the outfits she and Michelle-chan were working on the other day," Robin explained with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Something that didn't escape the notice of our lovable cyborg. As he was about to protest, he noticed she too was wearing a new outfit.

A pair of black jeans wrapped around her stomach nicely before trailing off into a slight bell-bottom look with sapphire blue cuffs. On her feet were a pair of small heels with straps winding their way up around the ankles before tying off into a small bow. The deep rich violet of the shoes complemented the lavender leather belt strapped tightly around her waist. Small blue jewels decorated the leather of the belt and shinned nicely.

A lavender-shaded top covered her upper body. Her shoulders were bare while sleeves that reached down to a little above the wrists started around the triceps and connected to the side of the shirt. Layers of ruffles were added to the shirt to give it a greater air of maturity than her 14-year-old size showed. All-in-all, our shipwright was quite speechless at her appearance.

"Ah, a-arigatou Robin," Franky managed to mutter before heading back towards his shop. Sure she might think him a bit rude, but Franky really wanted to get out of there _before_ he said anything stupid or embarrassing. Or both. Little did he know, Robin merely had a small smile on her face at the pink blush she had spotted on the elder's face. It was quite amusing to her to see the usually calm man stutter and stumble.

"Why do I even have to carry these stupid things!" An angry outburst drew both the elders' attention to an angry green-haired boy and a smiling brown-haired girl.

"Gomen Zoro-san, but Nami-san needed these books from upstairs," the small brown-haired girl quickly spoke up, trying to prevent any angry outbursts. Both Franky and Robin had to struggle to hold in there laughter as Zoro's face changed from one to rage to one of complacent behavior.

"Whatever, it doesn't really matter," the green-haired swordsman muttered, thankful the stack of books he was holding covered his face, which he was sure was either red or pink by now. The two continued to the table on the upper deck before Zoro set down his stack of books first. He than looked back towards Michelle who was struggling to get up the stairs. As soon as she made it however, she fell down.

"Oi, are you okay?" Zoro asked as he walked over to see her getting into a sitting position. Books were scattered around her as she rubbed a red spot on her face. It could have been from her tripping, or she was blushing from embarrassment.

"H-Hai," Michelle mumbled quietly while looking towards Zoro's right. The boy looked confused for a second before snapping his fingers.

"Oi, you do know I'm over here, right?" he started to sweat-drop as soon as he saw her turn her head and squint in the general direction his voice came from. "Don't tell me," Zoro muttered to himself while he looked at the squinting girl in front of him. "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Um...5, no 4! Ano...3?" Zoro looked at the squinting girl before glancing at his hand. He counted two fingers.

"Right...I think you have bad vision..." Zoro muttered while Michelle rubbed her eyes, most likely out of habit. The green-haired boy stood up before looking around. He saw Franky heading toward his workshop and the orange-haired witch heading towards the kitchen. That left the suspicious, but not as suspicious as first, archeologist to help him.

"Oi Robin, I think Michelle here might need your help," Zoro called out out to the girl below him. Robin looked up at him before nodding her head that she had heard him and began heading towards the stairs. Zoro looked back towards Michelle who was laughing at Kayla who was trying to pick walk with a large book in her mouth. Zoro smirked before turning his attention back to Robin.

"What seems to be the problem Swordsman-san?" Robin asked as she reached the top of the steps and walked over to stand next to Zoro and Michelle. Zoro looked up while scratching his cheek nervously with one finger before pointing to Michelle.

"I think she may have some problems with her vision," Zoro muttered while Michelle rubbed her eyes before standing up and trying to pick up the pile of books she had dropped. Robin looked at her before kneeling in front of the girl and smiling softly.

"Michelle-chan, how many fingers am I holding up?" Robin asked as she held up her hand around one foot away from the girl with three fingers held up. Michelle looked towards Robin confused for a second before looking at the hand.

"Ano...four? No, five...eto..." Michelle muttered while squinting her eyes and trying to make out the number of fingers. Robin seemed a little surprised before smiling softly and placing her hand on top of the small girl's head.

"Actually three. Michelle-chan, do you wear glasses normally?" Robin asked while Zoro watched from behind the archeologist. Michelle looked confused at the question before her face took on an expression where you could visibly see a light-bulb come on over her head.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I'm supposed to wear glasses but I usually wear contacts! They must have fallen out during the storm from yesterday and I was too tired and surprised from the day's events to take much notice!" Michelle exclaimed while holding two books to her chest, Kayla meowing softly from beside her in confirmation. Robin and Zoro looked slightly surprised by the information before Zoro started heading towards the stairs.

"Ah, Swordsman-san?" Robin questioned slightly surprised as she watched the boy's retreating figure. She saw him turn slightly back long enough to voice his reply.

"I'm going to grab Chopper real quick, he may have something that could help," Zoro muttered softly but loud enough for Robin to make out the embarrassment in his voice, and he was still close enough for her to glance the pink flush on his cheeks. Robin smiled gently before turning towards the small girl in front of her when she felt a slight tug on her sleeve.

"G-Gomen Robin-san for being a burden," Michelle muttered while looking depressed, which was quite cute in her current form. Robin smiled gently before patting her on the head and lifting her head up with a finger under her chin.

"It's okay, Luffy-san causes much more trouble for everyone on this ship in one hour than you do in a week," Robin replied while chuckling at the girl's wide smile and laugh. Kayla meowed happily while jumping on the girl's shoulders and rubbing against her softly, causing Michelle to smile even wider.

"Hai," Michelle mumbled while clutching the book to her chest, causing Robin to smile once more before starting to help Michelle pick the books up and set them on the table beside them, Kayla helping as much as she could.

Franky smiled as he watched the scene unfold before starting to once again head towards his workshop so he could get changed and work on Sunny. It was obvious the green-haired one held some form of feelings for the small girl. It was quite amusing in Franky's mind to watch the normally emotionless swordsman blush and show so much emotion than normal.

He glanced around to see where everyone else was. He saw Nami heading towards the kitchen with a pile of clothes, most likely for Sanji and Brook in the kitchen, where he heard a few shouts and laughs coming from...He glanced up at the crow's nest and saw Usopp sitting by the window, one eye glancing in the distance every now and than while he worked on the slingshot in his hand. Ah, than reminded him.

"Oi Usopp!" Franky yelled up to the sniper, who looked up startled before seeing Franky holding his toolbox and bundle of clothes.

"Nani?" he asked while putting his slingshot down and leaning out so he could hear and see the teenager better.

"Did you finish _it _yet?" Franky asked while putting emphasis on the it. He glanced from side-to-side to make sure no one noticed. He saw Robin looked up with a smile at the secret but just went back to helping Michelle, who was heading towards the stairs instead of the table.

"Ah! Yeah, just gotta put a few more touches on it! Did you finish your part?" Usopp asked while he too glanced around secretively. Franky smiled at how fast the kid worked, he may have been lousy as a shipwright, but he was an amazing inventor.

"Yeah! It's all ready, I'm starting work on the _other_ parts soon!" Franky yelled back up while Usopp nodded before ducking back into the crow's nest. Franky raised an eyebrow before Usopp came back with his slingshot in hand, a few seconds later he felt a dull pain on his forehead and a piece of folded paper on top of his pile of clothes.

"Gomen!" Usopp yelled while waving apologetically, "That's the design for your part! Good luck!"

"Ah, arigatou!" Franky yelled back up before turning around and rubbing his forehead and heading towards the workshop. He was lucky, he was sure that shot would've hurt much worse if the sniper had been serious, even if it was a piece of paper. The cerulean-haired one opened the door to the energy room while trying carefully not to drop anything in his hands. Before the door shut behind him, he saw Zoro and Chopper coming from the infirmary while Nami was heading towards the girl's room while wearing her new outfit.

X

"Sanji-kun, Brook! I have a surprise!" Nami yelled while walking into the kitchen and smiling widely as she saw Brook reaching for something off one of the top shelves and Sanji standing over a stove while balancing on top of a stepladder. He smiled widely as soon as he spotted Nami by the door.

"Ah! Nami-swan!"

"Yohoho, what's the surprise?" Brook asked while setting a small pile of ingredients down by Sanji before looking towards the orange-haired girl, who had a devious smile and aura to match.

"I made some clothes for us since our current ones won't fit us right now," Nami said smiling while she watched Sanji go into mellorine mode as usual.

"Hai! I would be delighted to accept clothes from your skilled hands Nami-swaan!" Sanji twirled towards Nami with hands clasped and large smile in place. Nami rolled her eyes, mostly in amusement than annoyance, she was used to the cooks behavior around the girls by now.

"Ah, I also have an outfit for Chopper," Nami said while handing Sanji his outfit, who became very happy, and Brook his, who mumbled his thanks, "Where is he?"

"Right here," Chopper said from behind the infirmary door. He was looking up from a large book he had and was looking curious at the pile of clothes Nami had.

"Here Chopper, these are your clothes," Nami said with a smile as she reached the smiling doctor his outfit. Once she wasn't holding anything the guys could now see the new dress she was wearing.

"You look wonderful Nami-swa~n!" Sanji exclaimed, still in mellorine mode. Nami smiled at the compliment as the hem of dress swished lightly. She was wearing dark orange dress, much like the color of the mikans she loved so much. A light green stripe spit the middle of the dress in both the front and back, three round and golden buttons were sewed onto the front of the dress. The hem of the dress was also a light green like the straps while the dress was held up by two shoulder straps that were decorated with buttons holding them in place on the front and back.

"Arigatou Sanji-kun," Nami smiled while Zoro walked in, scoffing at the state of the cook, who heard him quite clearly.

"What was that marimo?" Sanji muttered in a dark tone while glaring at the swordsman. Zoro ignored him and looked towards Chopper.

"Oi Chopper, Michelle needs you," Zoro addressed the reindeer while Sanji and Nami looked surprised, Brook had gone back to gathering supplies from the cabinet, trying not to drop anything lest Sanji yell at him, again.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Chopper and Nami asked with worry.

"Something's wrong with her eyesight I think," Zoro said indifferently, though the others could tell he was a little concerned.

"Eh? How bad is it?" Chopper asked in concern while grabbing a few things from his desk before looking towards Zoro who was scratching one cheek while looking towards the side.

"I held up two fingers and she guess five, than three, than four," Zoro muttered while Chopper and Nami sweat-dropped. Sanji had gone back to the kitchen to reprimand Brook for dropping three cans of spices, again.

"Hai, I'll come look at her, give me one second," Chopper said as he shut the door and went into the infirmary. A few bangs and thumps caused Zoro and Nami to gain questionable looks before Chopper came trotting out with his blue medical bag and wearing his new outfit given to him by Nami.

"Ah, you really do look cute Chopper!" Nami exclaimed while the doctor blushed before swinging back and forth cutely like he usually does.

"Bakero! That doesn't make me happy!" Chopper exclaimed loudly while the others in the room smiled. Chopper was wearing his red hat like usual, but instead of his usual pants, he had on a pair of dark blue pants and a pink shirt with white outlines of leaves that took the shape of sakura petals. He looked cute in Nami's opinion.

"Hai hai, let's go," Zoro muttered from the kitchen door before walking out, Chopper trotting after him, not even tripping once, well, until he reached the door and tripped over the entryway. Nami smiled before heading out the door herself, glancing at Sanji who was back to cooking breakfast for everyone, with Brook's help.

X

"Ah, Chopper-san!" Michelle smiled as she jumped down from the chair she was sitting in, she had been put there by Robin when she almost fell down the stairs twice. Chopper was standing in front of her, but she was looking towards her right.

"Ano...I'm over here Michelle-san," Chopper sweat-dropped as Michelle blinked in confusion before looking straight in front of her, she patted the top of Choppers red hat before smiling embarrassingly.

"Heh, gomen," Michelle mumbled while scratching the back of her head.

"Hai, now sit here and look at this," Chopper said while he pulled out a large white chart with letters in various sizes. Michelle sat down while looking at the chart as instructed, "Good. Now tell me when you can't clearly see any of the letters."

"Ano...I can't read any letter..." Michelle muttered while fidgeting in her place. Robin smiled lightly while Zoro and Chopper sweat-dropped nervously. This could take a while after all.

"Ah, Michelle-chan, Zoro! Here are your twos' clothes!" Nami exclaimed as she ran up the stairs with piles of clothes in her hands. Chopper, Zoro, and Michelle looked at Nami as she came up startled, not hearing her on the steps in her quiet sandals.

"Aa, arigatou Nami-onee-chan!" Michelle said while closing her eyes and smiling widely. Nami squealed before grabbing Michelle around the neck and snuggling her close.

"You're so cute!" Nami exclaimed loudly while Chopper and Zoro looked a little disturbed and backed up slowly. Nami than handed Michelle an outfit before throwing Zoro's his, who caught it out of reflex.

"Why do I have to wear these stupid things," Zoro muttered angrily while glaring at Nami, who returned the glare in full force.

"Because-"

"Because Zoro-san, Nami-onee-chan and me put a lot of work into everyone's clothes yesterday so everyone wouldn't trip over their normal clothes. Plus, this way, you can practice with your swords easier!" Michelle exclaimed while standing up and answering the swordsman's question before Nami could.

"Whatever," Zoro mumbled before walking off to find a place to change. Nami blinked in astonishment, it usually took half an hour and various threats before Zoro agreed to something. Yet this girl did it in a few sentences.

"Ah Zoro-san!" Michelle exclaimed before running forward as Zoro started down the stairs. Zoro looked back confused before answering. Michelle stopped before she tripped down the stairs and back up a few steps, she than set down her clothes and lifted her gown away from her body before a few small objects fell out.

"S-She did it again?" Chopper asked in surprise and amazement as he stared at all the wallets on the ground in front of her. They watched her go through the pile before pulling out a green and black colored one.

"Here, this one is yours!" Michelle said with a smile while reaching the nervous swordsman his wallet who took it, mumbled thanks, and ran down the steps.

"You're such a wonderful little sister!" Nami exclaimed while hugging Michelle once more. Michelle blinked a few times while looking slightly confused. She than picked up a white one with a pink petal on it before reaching it to Chopper.

"This one is yours Chopper-san!" Michelle said while looking apologetic and embarrassed. Chopper smiled slightly before taking his wallet and thanking her while Robin quietly chuckled. Michelle certainly was an odd girl.

"Now that that's all settled, let's get your clothes on you!" Nami exclaimed before grabbing Michelle and her pile of clothes and dragging her towards the girl's room. Michelle looked confused and started protesting various arguments, all of which made no sense and were jumbled up.

"Hai hai," Nami said while smiling and closing the door behind them while Michelle looked nervous. Chopper looked sympathetic before going through his bag before pulling out some glass and metal frames.

"Ne, Robin, can you help me put these in real quick?" Chopper asked while he handed the archeologist the two pieces of glass and the pink metal frame.

"Hai," Robin replied before tinkering with the small pair of glasses, which Chopper had found on one of the islands they visited and decided to keep and case any of the others had any accidents involving their vision. He was quite happy he had ended up getting the supplies.

"What do you guys think!" Nami asked happily and loudly while pulling a blushing Michelle out from behind her.

"Ah, that was quick," Chopper said in amazement while he and Robin looked at the outfit Nami had made Michelle wear. She was wearing a long brown skirt that reached to the ankles and had small metal tassels coming from the end that clicked together when she moved. The hem had a bandana like patter that was a light blue that matched the short-sleeved shirt she wore. Her outfit was completed with the red ribbon in her hair and the two swords she clutched to her chest. Kayla was meowing from her shoulders, a turquoise ribbon around her neck that was put there by Nami to match Michelle's outfit.

"You look cute Michelle-chan," Robin spoke while smiling and finishing the glasses with a small click of the glass slipping into place, "Here you go Chopper."

"Hai, arigatou Robin!" Chopper exclaimed while taking the glasses and running up to Michelle before putting them on her face.

"Can you see better?" Chopper asked while watching as Michelle blinked in amazement before looking in every direction before smiling widely.

"So bright..." Nami and Chopper muttered as they watched the excited girl, who literally seemed to have bright little lights surround her smiling face.

"Hai! I can also see that Franky-san and Zoro-san are wearing new outfits also!" Michelle exclaimed while looking at the said two, who had looked up when they heard their names said. Franky was wearing a pair of black pants and a short-sleeved black shirt with long blue sleeves coming out from it. The shirt had a white spray-paint styled ship on the front while black silver-toed boots matched the outfit. A black belt with blue diamond-shaped studs was worn around the pants. Another belt hung loosely on one side and had a cola-shaped belt buckle.

Zoro was wearing his new outfit, which consisted of black/green colored pants and a white dark blue no-sleeved shirt that had a black swirled symbol in the middle. A black bracelet was on his left hand while his bandana was tied to his right arm as usual. Three gold earrings hung from his ear as they usually did. Both boys looked to be embarrassed about their outfits.

"Good, now almost everyone had one their outfits. The only ones left is Usopp, Ace and Luffy, ah, speaking of which Robin, can you do me a favor real quick," Nami asked as she turned towards Robin while handing her another pile of clothes. Robin looked at Nami before smiling softly and bending down to take the pile of clothes and answer.

"Hai," Robin replied while Nami quickly whispered something into an amused Robin's ear while Michelle trotted down the stairs to hand Franky his wallet, which he was nervous and startled to see it really was missing, causing Zoro to chuckle.

X

"Ah this is hard!" Usopp exclaimed while hanging his head. He was currently trying to work on his old slingshot since Kabuto was too big for his current form right now. He was trying to affix dials to it, with little success, "What are the others doing anyway?"

Usopp climbed up towards the window, he had just talked to Franky about the project they had been working on and he know he had seen Nami head towards the kitchen. He also overheard about Michelle's bad vision and slightly sweat-dropped. He was surprised when Zoro had went to go get Chopper.

After he and Chopper emerged a few minutes later he had seen Michelle almost fall down the stairs twice and over the rail once till Robin finally had her sit in a chair to wait. He also saw Franky was coming out of the energy room wearing his new outfit, while Nami had Zoro and Michelle change. He had laughed to himself when he saw Zoro only agree to it when Michelle convinced him and Nami drag away Michelle. He was starting to wonder if Michelle had also taken his wallet...

He had watched Michelle smile brightly when she had been given the glasses before running over to give Franky his wallet, who had been shocked. Usopp would have kept watching, had not a pile of clothes suddenly landed on him. He looked surprised till he saw a flurry of pink petals disappearing.

"Arigatou Robin," Usopp thanked knowing the elder would hear him. He quickly jumped down before starting to put his own outfit on which consisted of dark green jeans, a light green shirt that had a picture of his slingshot and black boots, which he was grateful for but wondered how Nami found boots that would fit his current age.

Shrugging it off he stood up before tugging on the green and yellow wristband before seeing two small objects and a note. He read the note before smiling widely and laughing out loud to himself.

X

"I still don't get why I have to wear these," Zoro muttered darkly while adjusting his sword from his back and sitting down near the railing on the upper deck, Michelle was standing near him still clutching her swords tightly but looking happier now that she could see.

"I don't really mind too much, I just miss my hat," Michelle mumbled while becoming slightly depressed. Zoro looked uncomfortable with dealing with a sad Michelle and quickly tried to see if she remembered when she had lost it.

"Do you know where you last saw it?"

"Hai, it was on the...island...It's gone forever..." Michelle muttered the last part while slowly slipping towards the ground with a comical depressed expression on her face that made Robin and Nami smile in the background while they were flipping through books.

"OI!" Zoro yelled loudly, shocking all three girls there. He glared up at the crow's nest where a nervous sniper was laughing nervously before ducking back down. In the green-haired's lap was a brown bucket-shaped hat like Michelle's old one and a pair of blue-tinted goggles.

"Ah! A hat!" Michelle exclaimed while Zoro tossed her the hat after he stopped glaring at the crow's nest, where he had been thinking of how to get revenge on the sniper. He glared at the goggles in his hand before Michelle picked them up and slipped them on the surprised boy's head.

"Wha-?"

"Your outfit looks much better with the goggles Zoro-san!" Michelle exclaimed while smiling widely beneath her new hat and holding her swords upright while Kayla meowed in agreement from beside her.

"Whatever," Zoro muttered while a small blush came to his cheeks, which Nami quickly snapped a picture of before running off, "Oi!"

x

Nami walked towards the guy's room with another pile of clothes in hand and her camera around her neck, she was enjoying all the blackmail she was getting. She was about to open the door when she heard talking, she gently pushed the door open before seeing a sight that made her smile before grinning and snapping a picture.

Ace had a blanket-wrapped Luffy in his lap while reading from a large book that she had seen before in the boys room. Ace was smiling while Luffy was looking at the book with rapt attention, something rarely seen when it came to her captain and books. But, Ace did have Luffy act weirder when he was around.

"Oi boys! Put these on than come outside!" Nami yelled while throwing outfits to the confused and startled boys who caught them out of reflex. Nami smiled before heading back towards the door, the brothers looked at each other in confusion before Nami came back and pointed towards Luffy, "Next time, don't fake it that you're asleep cause you don't wanna do any work."

Nami walked backed out while Luffy looked shocked and confused while Ace laughed as he marked the page they were on and closed the book carefully. He than got down from the bed and pulled his pile of clothes towards him. Might as well as get ready.

X

"Ne, Ace?" Luffy asked while pulling a red long-sleeved shirt over his head, the ends had blue cuffs while the front had a picture of an anchor in the bottom right corner.

"Hm, what's the matter?" Ace asked while pulling on his own shirt, a dark green short-sleeved shirt that had a picture of a flame on the bottom corner.

"Iie, what makes you think something's wrong?" Luffy asked frantically while waving his hands back and forth and avoiding eye contact.

"Well for one, that. And two, I know you," Ace said while smirking and pulling on his pants, dark blue denim shorts that were much like his old ones. His orange belt from before had survived the food war and was now worn with his current outfit, black silver-toed boots were quickly slipped on while he looked back at Luffy, who hadn't responded back to Ace.

"Hey...Ace...do you-" Luffy was pulling on light blue shorts like Ace's when a sudden shout from outside interrupted the rest of what he was about to say. The two brothers looked up in shock before running towards the the door to see what was wrong. Ace had grabbed the two's hats from the end table while Luffy had run towards the door while trying to put his sandals on, he ended up tripping and falling over however.

"Baka," Ace sighed in exasperation, but his serious look was ruined by the large smile on his face as he placed the straw-hat on Luffy's head before pulling him up and running back towards the deck, Luffy being dragged forward by Ace.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Ace here simultaneous shouts from what sounded like Nami, Sanji, Zoro and Franky all at once. The two brothers looked at each other before running outside to see what everyone was yelling about.

Ace looked around in confusion and trying to peace together what was going on. He looked up to see what everyone was angry about floating above everyone with a smirk in place. Tara...


	19. Riddle This, Riddle That

**Yo! **Told ya I would update Friday! I would have re-read this and added more, but I'm lazy~ So here it is now! A bit over four thousand words and 7 pages in openoffice, so enjoy! Also, I would like to thank the reviewers who haven't given up on me! You all know who you are! And I've gotten a ton of fav story and story alerts on this! You all make me so happy...I'm honered to have so many people who enjoy this story out there! So I hope you love riddles, cause this story is gonna have a lot of 'em. In fact, you the reader, can help! I'm gonna put the riddle I'll need for the next chapter at the bottom, you can send in your answers, more than one, and we'll see who get's it right.

I need a bunch of different answers for the story, I'll even give credit to your answer, so please do your best, and remember, no cheating! You can't use google or any other search engine, use your own creative powers. I got these answers from my Onee-chan! Eternitybeckons, thank you nee-chan! So now, without further ado, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! IF I DID, ONE PIECE WOULDN'T HAVE THE LARGE FANBASE IT DID TODAY! IT WOULD HAVE 6 CHAPTERS AND ALL OF THEM WOULD MOST LIKELY BE ACELU! SO NO SUEING! I'm poor, and saving up for a laptop, please have mercy...**

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Chapter 16 ~ Riddle me This and Riddle me That

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"_**WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU-" **_

"_Nan da? Wasn't that Nami?" Luffy asked as he finished pulling up his shorts. He looked over to Ace to see he was looking confused and worried about Nami's yell that had thankfully been cut off due to more yelling from Zoro and Sanji._

"_I think so...come on, something's up," Ace muttered while grabbing their hats and following Luffy, who had been quick to run towards the door in worry for his nakama, until he tripped as he tried pulling his sandals on._

"_Ngh..." Luffy moaned from the ground while Ace sighed before picking him up from the back of his shirt and dragging him towards the door before throwing the straw-hat onto his head. Luffy blinked in confusing before smiling widely while Ace chuckled before throwing open the door and running onto deck. As soon as he made it out he saw why everyone was yelling..._

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As soon as Ace ran onto the deck the first thing he saw was Nami. She was hard to miss as she was currently standing on top of the table on the upper deck and was glaring at the floating girl in front of them with an expression that could be described as murderous. Sanji was standing in front of Nami and the table and was also shouting at the girl.

"IT'S CAUSE OF YOU THAT I CAN'T SMOKE ANY OF MY CIGARETTES!" Sanji yelled at the top of his lungs causing Ace's expression to slightly falter, was that really his biggest concern as the moment? Ace shook his head to clear it before looking around to try and spot Michelle. He finally saw her standing a little behind Zoro, looking scared, but holding her green-sheathed sword tightly, ready to fight if need be.

Zoro was standing in front of the smallest of the group, quite protectively in Ace's opinion, and had Wado unsheathed and held in a sword stance that would allow him to shift into whatever move he needed, he also had a furious expression on his face as he stared at the girl floating above him.

"Why are you hear..." Ace muttered lowly while glaring at the cause of their current condition as flames unconsciously began to form in his right hand. He was standing behind Luffy, who also had a serious expression on his face while glancing to make sure the rest of his nakama were okay.

Nami, glaring. Zoro, glaring while protecting Michelle. Sanji, yelling while standing by Nami. Robin, calm as always while looking towards the girl, she had a smile on her face but Luffy could tell it was one of the fake smiles that promised pain if anyone got hurt. Finished scanning the upper deck Luffy looked towards the kitchen to see Brook was standing with his sword unsheathed and in one of his fencing positions, Chopper was standing behind him with a rumble ball between his hoof.

Kayla had shifted into full panther form, the pink ribbon she had been wearing was laying beside her while she stood beside Zoro and Michelle, growling every now and than. Luffy spotted the last two members of his crew near the mast. Franky had emerged from his workshop when he heard Nami start to yell while holding a new type of weapon he had created, Usopp was climbing down from the crow's nest while looking serious. He than immediately hid behind Franky with his slingshot in hand.

Luffy looked at who everyone was glaring at while he heard Ace mutter something. Slightly floating above everyone was the one who had gotten them into this whole mess. The mood only worsened when the girl lightly giggled.

"Aw, why so mad?" Tara asked playfully while giggling in what most of them thought was annoying. Of course this prompted quite a few more crew-members to scream more profanities at the floating figure, everything was unintelligible due to everyone speaking at once, Ace could still tell it wasn't really something children should be saying...

Tara giggles subsided after a few more seconds of laughing before floating down and landing on the lawn deck between Franky and the D brothers. She had a smirk on her face before she started to speak, "Oh calm down, I'm not here to do anything, I'm just here to explain a few rules of the game you're playing in..."

"I DON'T WANNA PLAY YOUR STUPID GAME! NOW TURN US BACK TO NORMAL!" Nami yelled loudly with a clenched fist and glare aimed towards the annoyed Tara. A few of the others looked startled at Nami's sudden outburst of anger.

"Tsk tsk, it's not very nice to shout. And beside, I can't turn you back to normal, you have to beat a test for that, my trial to be specific."

"T-Trial?" Chopper stuttered while cowering behind Brook, but still having a slightly brave expression on his face. Tara glanced at him before smiling widely, about to explain when Zoro mutters a rude remark that was quiet enough to go unheard by everyone but Michelle who was standing behind him, and Tara who had very good hearing.

Tara frowned and glared at Zoro, "That's not very nice, and I can tell you now saying mean things isn't going to help anyone, and trust me, you'll need all the help you can get. If you don't pass my trial, than you'll be stuck like that forever...and lose all of your memories."

As soon as Tara had finished talking, most of the crew was dumb-struck, Ace and Luffy looked shocked while Nami, Sanji and Zoro had started another stream of profanities that were once again unintelligible due to everyone talking at once.

"Why do we even have to play this stupid game!" Franky yelled while Usopp nodded furiously from behind him while Chopper is nodding along with Usopp from behind Brook. Tara resists the urge to chuckle at the interactions before pointing to Luffy.

"If you want to blame someone, than you should probably be looking at your captain," Tara smiled widely before Ace stepped in front of Luffy with a murderous expression that Luffy couldn't see but gave everyone else chills.

"Just how is this Luffy's fault," Ace asked quietly while Tara became a little nervous and unconsciously took a step back from the enraged D.

"You don't have to get so mad, I'm not blaming him by saying he did something wrong," Tara explained quickly while the others started to look confused, "your crew was picked for this test because of the captains strong will and determination!"

"Tara-san, does this have anything to do with the 'Will of D'?" Robin spoke up from the chair she was sitting in at the table. Tara looked towards her while a few others looked confused. Ace and Michelle seemed to have some knowledge of what she was talking about. Tara smiles widely before responding.

"If your captain want to obtain his dream, than he'll have to beat all the trials in the Game," Tara replied while looking towards Luffy for his answer. Luffy had his straw-hat on his head to were it was shading his eyes until he looked up with a wicked grin on his face.

"Bring it on! I'm gonna become the Pirate King no matter what!" Luffy yelled while accepting the challenge without even thinking about it, causing mixed reactions among the crew. Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Brook were quite shocked and were staring either at Tara or Luffy in horror. Sanji and Zoro were smirking while thinking about how much have an idiot their captain was. Franky was laughing to himself while Robin was smiling to herself. Michelle looked a little confused but also had a small smile on while Ace was chuckling at how predictable Luffy was.

"I see," Tara whispered to herself before smiling widely, unlike before, this smile was full of hope and confidence, "Let me introduce myself. I am Tara, 5th member of the Council and master of all Riddles and Games!"

"Council?" Sanji asked with a raised eyebrow while looking at the girl suspiciously, who smiled softly before winking.

"All in due time little impatient shortie!" Tara shouted with a thumbs up, at the same time Robin was using extra arms to hold back Sanji from jumping and attacking Tara while Zoro was laughing to himself before Tara spoke again, "Oh, why are you laughing swordsman, you're a shortie too remember!" Robin had to sprout even more arms while Michelle tried to hold on to Zoro shirt before he attacked Tara.

"What exactly is the trial we're supposed to do, and more importantly, why are me and Michelle in this game? We're not a part of Luffy's crew," Ace asked while looking towards Tara, the flames on his hand had died down but he was still standing protectively in front of Luffy.

"Ah! That's right!" Luffy exclaimed while looking towards Tara who was smiling broadly.

"Well, as for why you two are in this game, I'll save that surprise for later," the situation was reversed when Luffy had to start holding Ace back who had flames in his hand while Zoro was trying to stop Michelle from jumping and slashing Tara in two, "Now, as for the trial, it's simple. All you have to do is solve a few riddles!"

"Ah...that's it...That's no problem for the Great Captain Usopp-sama! I have solved thousands of riddles!" Usopp exclaimed while sprouting even more lies, which Chopper and Brook were currently amazed by and were looking at the sniper with starry eyes. Franky and Zoro sigh in annoyance while Nami starts to get mad at the sniper's idiocy.

"So what's the riddle?" Luffy asked while smiling widely, he seemed to have relaxed from any danger of battle since he found out she wouldn't hurt any of his nakama.

"Riddles," Tara replied, correcting the young captain, "You'll have to solve this first riddle if you want to fine out how to solve all the others and know _where_ to go. So, let's begin!" Tara shouted while raising a hand in the air as small iridescent letters began to form above her head, spelling the words she spoke next.

_**Riddle me this, Riddle me that, can you guess what I am? I have towns aplenty yet I have no houses. Large lakes yet no water is to be found. Vast forests yet not a tree in sight. And towering mountains but not a rock or pebble around. Can you tell me, what I am?**_

"Nan da tou!" Franky, Zoro and Sanji shouted while glaring at the smiling girl. The letters above her head glinted and danced before flying towards the table on the upper deck and sticking themselves to a piece of paper in front of Nami.

"Good Luck!" Tara shouted before the others looked back to see she wasn't even there.

"STOP DOING THAT!" the three short-tempered members of the crew yelled while Nami picked up the piece of paper in front of her.

"So now what?" Michelle asked quietly from beside Kayla as her glasses slide down slightly before she pushed them up.

"Well-" what Nami had been about to say was interrupted from two large rumbles. Everyone followed the noise to be met with two D's who were avoiding eye contact.

"How about we eat first of all," Sanji suggested while hiding a smirk as Luffy and Ace agreed enthusiastically. The others also agreed while Sanji said that breakfast would be ready in about 10 minutes and to wait till than. Luffy looked depressed before Ace cheered him up while Kayla jumped on his head and meowed.

The others were heading towards the table to see if they could help with the riddle while Robbin looked towards the bright red skies with the risen sun in the east before speaking softly to herself, "Red skies at night, a sailor's delight, red skies in the morning, a sailors warning..."

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"Just what kind of riddle is this!" Nami shouted while banging her head down against the table in frustration. Not only had they had no clue where to start with the riddle, but some of the others had gone back to doing other things. Chopper and Usopp had quickly given up solving the puzzle and gone to playing with Luffy while Brook tried to keep them somewhat under control by playing his music.

Sanji had gone back to the kitchen to finish their late breakfast while Zoro had fallen asleep under one of the trees on the lawn deck, sword clutched tightly like usual. The only ones who hadn't given up on solving the riddle yet were Franky, Robin, Ace and Nami. Michelle had been sitting next to Robin quietly without speaking.

"Maybe it's an unsolvable riddle," Franky murmured while looking at the words while Nami's head snapped towards him.

"Baka! What would be the point of giving us an unsolvable riddle!" Nami yelled back while jumping over the table to hit Franky on the head. Ace sighed while Robin smiled while the other two started fighting, Michelle chose these moment to quietly stand up while picking up a book she had brought down and walk towards the lawn deck. Robin and Ace watched with amusement as she headed towards the sleeping swordsman before sitting down next to him and starting to read her book.

"This is hopeless," Nami muttered while leaning her head on the table. She and Franky had finally stopped fighting when they heard a bang and crash from the kitchen before Franky went to go help with cooking breakfast. The only ones at the table now where Robin, Ace and Nami.

"Well...maybe-" Nami looked towards Ace who had been about to say something, to see he had been hit by another one of his narcoleptic fits and was now fast asleep, Robin had sprouted an arm to keep him from falling over before re-writing the riddle in a small book she had in front of her. Kayla was beside Robin watching while glancing towards Luffy and Michelle every few minutes to check on them.

Nami sighed heavily before a small smile tugged at her lips, "We'll just wait till after breakfast to solve this thing..but for now..." Nami grinned evilly while pulling a camera out from a cord around her neck and snapping a picture of Ace before running off to get blackmail on the others. Robin smiled gently while watching the rest of her nakama start the day as usual.

"Nii-chan! Wake up!" Luffy cried as he jumped on top of Ace who had been sleeping in the chair. The elder D suddenly sat bolt upright while looking surprised.

"Wha-What happened?" he asked while looking around and rubbing his eyes before spotting Luffy on the ground in front of his chair. He watched Luffy jump back up before laughing.

"Nii-chan fell asleep and Nami said breakfast will be done soon so I should wake you up!" Luffy said while Ace gained a slight twitch before jumping down from his chair and standing in front of Luffy.

"And did that really mean you had to jump on top of me?" Ace asked menacingly while stretching the rubber-boy's cheeks in annoyance while Luffy grinned and laughed.

"I didn't know how else to get you up!" Luffy grinned while escaping Ace's grip and running towards the kitchen as soon as Sanji had come out to announce breakfast was done. Ace was chasing right behind him although the others could see he was joking about the whole matter.

"Sugoi-na! You defeated that many!" Chopper exclaimed while following a grinning Usopp to the kitchen. The sniper had been telling the doctor how he had defeated 5,000 men with nothing but his slingshot and low ammo while Brook is laughing lightly and following the two towards the kitchen.

Kayla was waiting at the door for Michelle, who had shut her book and was trying to hold both that and her sword while trying to wake Zoro from his nap, who awoke surprisingly easily in the others' opinions. Robin watched everyone while smiling and carrying her notebook inside as Nami ran ahead of her while outrunning Franky, who she had managed to get a blackmail shot of.

"Luffy! I keep telling you, ladies first!" Sanji yelled as he kicked the rubber boy back towards the railing while Ace chuckled, he knew something like that wouldn't hurt the kid.

"But Saaanji! I'm huuuuun~gry!" Luffy whined while Sanji ignored him. Luffy sighed dejectedly, he hated waiting on the girls.

X

"So did you guys get any progress on the riddle?" Usopp asked while the others started to eat their breakfast. Nami scowled while crossing her arms and glaring at the sniper, "I-I guess not..."

"Towns but no houses...how can there be a town with no houses?" Chopper asked while pounding his head lightly before eating one of his eggs in contemplation.

"I have no clue, I'm more interested in the lakes but not water part..." Franky muttered while taking a sip of his cola while Sanji and Zoro started up another argument before Nami hit their heads, hard.

"Urusai bakeros. We have enough issues as it is," Nami muttered while glaring from her seat before starting to eat her breakfast as well.

"Maybe's it one of the miniature models of landscape! You know, the ones that are made out of plastic!" Usopp said while looking proud of himself, Nami and Franky blinked before smiling widely.

"That's a good idea Usopp! And it makes sense!" Nami exclaimed happily, Usopp grinned while Michelle finally spoke up.

"But...how do we know when we have the right answer?"

"Good question..." Nami muttered dejectedly while staring at her juice while Michelle looked a little nervous at the sudden change from happy to sad.

"I think we might know when we get it right," Robin said while pointing towards the paper where the original riddle was wrote, the others looked at it to see the letters re-arrange themselves for a few seconds to spell, 'Nope! Good guess though!'

"THAN WHAT THE HECK IS IT!" Nami yelled while the others looked surprised at the navigator's sudden outburst.

"Maybe the riddle is actually easy and we're just thinking of it in the wrong way," Sanji muttered while taking a sip of his drink while Nami looked at him.

"Sanji...that may actually be true..." Nami muttered while looking over at the cook surprised. Sanji blinked before entering his mellorine state and proclaiming many things that no one bothered to even pay attention to.

Sanji and Nami began to debate possible answers while Franky and Robin chewed their food thoughtfully and tried to narrow anything down, every now and than the letters on the paper would rearrange, sometimes saying insulting things that made a few members quite angry.

"Maybe it's a story!" Usopp shouted only for the letters to prove him wrong, rudely, "HOW MEAN ARE YOU!" Chopper smiled sympathetic at the sniper while giving Ace a quick check-up after he had fallen asleep again, thankfully avoiding his plate full of food. Luffy was sitting beside Ace and snickering while taking the chance to steal the flame-user's food, much to the boys' relief as they quickly ate.

"Maybe it has something to do with one of our pasts," Brook quietly suggests as the others start coming up with possibilities while Zoro and Michelle remain quiet, Zoro was absentmindedly balancing his fork up and down while Michelle was reading the book she was earlier, not even noticing if someone was talking to her.

As the others start thinking of all the islands they've been too Nami asks Zoro what islands he and Luffy visited before she joined them. She doesn't bother to address Luffy since he's not paying attention. Zoro blinks in surprise before looking up and telling the others of how Luffy first met him when he was tied to the post. Zoro had gotten into a few fights with Sanji as he told the story due to side comments from the cook.

"Eh...where's my food?" Ace quietly asked as he looked at his empty plate after waking up. The ones nearest to him slightly sweat-drop while Ace starts to glare at Luffy, whose now staring at the wall and whistling nervously. Ace sighs in defeat knowing he might as well try to get some more food somehow before deciding on Luffy's approach.

While listening to Zoro's story Ace inwardly chuckles at Luffy's behavior and rash actions while swiping food from those nearest to him that wasn't Luffy, Franky, Usopp and Chopper were the three most absorbed with Zoro's story, as was Brook to some degree, so he choose those four targets. Even he knew however, not to even try to steal from the girls.

He had considered it before weighing his chances. Steal from Nami means fighting Sanji, Nami and probably facing Michelle's saddened gaze, which he shuddered at since that's how she pretty much got whatever she wanted on their ship without even realizing it. He also ruled out Robin since Sanji would attack him along with Franky and probably Nami. So that idea was out, and he didn't even bother Michelle. If he tried he face the _full_ wrath of Nami, Sanji and Zoro. He'd rather not mess with those three all at once either.

Right as Zoro was finishing his story the others looked surprised when Michelle closed her book with a soft thud before laying it down beside her and finishing her breakfast. She looked up before glancing at the paper, "Still no leads?" she asked in what sounded like disappointment.

"No..." Nami muttered depressingly while finishing drinking her orange juice while Michelle took a sip of apple juice before closing her eyes and swinging her legs back and forth.

"Eto...Michelle-kun, what are you doing?" Usopp asked while looking towards Michelle who shushed him before explaining she was thinking.

"If I close my eyes and try not to listen to anything, I can think of lot's of answ-" the others looked at her startled when Michelle's eyes snapped open with a large smile. She giggled while finishing her apple juice and setting the cup on the table before turning to a confused Nami.

"Nami-onee-chan, you're the navigator right?" Michelle asked while the others looked confused even more.

"Eh? H-Hai...why?"

"That means you're good at cartography, right?" Michelle asked while the others were wondering if she had gotten brain damage while thinking for an answer.

"Hai, I have to so I can draw all my maps," Nami responded while Robin's eyes slightly widened from across beside Nami while Franky noticed.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Franky asked in a low enough voice for no one but Robin to hear, who looked up with a confused expression on her face before whispering back equally as quiet.

"When Nami-chan said the word maps, the letters from the riddle shimmered..."

"Shimmered?" Franky muttered while looking at the paper before listening to Michelle's next question.

"And maps have towns on them right?" Michelle asked, amusement starting to creep into her voice while Ace looked suspicious before his eyes widened in realization, Robin's doing the same.

"Eh, yeah..." Nami responded while looking even more confused as did the others. Michelle just smiled and kept asking the strange obvious questions.

"Do they mark where lakes are located?"

"Again, yes..." Nami said while her eyes started to get a little wider as the answer hit her, Sanji too figured it out as he and Franky cleaned up the plates before taking them into the kitchen while the others still looked confused.

"And they mark forests?" Michelle asked, more of a statement than a question a few of the others noticed. Nami smiled before nodding her head as Franky chuckled upon figuring it out finally as did Zoro as he leaned back in his chair and smirked.

"So maps can have towns, yet they don't actually have houses. A map can show you where lakes are, yet there's no water on them. They have forests yet no trees in sight. And maps also have mountains and no rocks on them, right?" Michelle asked while the ones who didn't figure it out finally did, the only two who still looked confused were Chopper and Luffy who had their heads tilted in confusion.

"That means the answer to the riddle, is a map!" Nam smiled widely while patting Michelle gently on the head who giggled while the letters on the paper rearranged themselves to spell 'Correct! Well done I must add.'

"Now what?" Usopp asked before a pop was heard. They all looked to where the piece of paper had been, only to see a warn out parchment map in it's place. Michelle smiled while looking at the map, as did a few of the others.

"Now, we just figure out where we have to go," Ace voiced in amusement while Luffy still looked confused as Kayla jumped on his head in meowed in what sounded close to giggles.

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There you go! Now, try and solve Tara's next riddle and see if you have what it takes to call youself a challenger in this crazy Game of the Council!

**Riddle me this and riddle me that. Can you say what I am? I give you this hint now lest you think I'm rude, I'm not something you can touch, see, smell, taste or hear, but something you feel inside. I vary greatly in my task, being neutral, pleaseant or unpleasent depending on the mood. I am only expressed for the briefest of moments before my sisters and brothesr follow. So, have you guessed it? Can you tell me what my name is?**

_**Good Luck readers. If you remember this kind of print, you'll remember I go by Jean, don't worry. Tara's riddles aren't all you think they are, remember, she's a child. All children color outside the lines right? So think outside the box and you'll understand.**_


	20. The Answer Is

******I AM SO SORRY! IT'S BEEN SO LONG AND I APOLOGIZE! *commits senpoku***

**Anyways, I apologize for my absense, I got sick of this story and needed a break, now I'm obsessed with finding out what happnes...what? I know what happnes! Kinda...Anyway, 7 pages, a little over 4000 words, I hope you enjoy this. Also, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, you will hate me. *grabs sheild and stocks up on arrows* ****_Whoops, I almost uploaded my Naruto chapter, gomen!_**

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**Chapter 17~ Surprise Surprise!**

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"_Now we just have to figure out where we're heading," Ace smirked while Luffy tried to look at the map from over his shoulder. Kayla was balancing on the boy's head and meowing what sounded like a laugh._

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"CORRECT!"

"GAH!" Tara giggled as see watched half the straw-hats look up at her from the kitchen floor after having popped into the room yelling. Franky was glaring hatefully, Robin was smiling lightly, Brook, Chopper, and Usopp were on the floor clutching their chests, Luffy was laughing at his nakama while Ace smiled. Michelle was the only one who looked troubled, Nami, Sanji, and Zoro were choosing anger over the other emotions.

"WHY DO YOU DO THAT!" Franky and Usopp yelled while Tara giggled again before floating down gently and jumping into an empty seat at the counter.

"It's fun!" Tara replied while a few of the crew held the others back, Tara laughed again before she looked down surprised when she felt a tugging sensation on her skirt, "Hm? What's the matter Michelle-nee-chan?"

The others looked over surprised to see Michelle was standing in front of Tara holding a glass of apple juice no one had drank from, she smiled sweetly before holding the cup out to Tara.

"Eh? For me?" Tara asked with surprised before taking the cup from the nodding girl in front of her, "Arigatou Michelle-nee!" Tara replied while patting the girl's head and drinking from the cup. The others flinched at how nice she was when it involved Michelle.

"Um...Tara-san? What do we do now that we solved the first riddle?" Michelle asked hesitantly while adjusting her glasses again. Tara smiled kindly, a scary look in a few's opinion, before slipping off the chair and bending down to pat Michelle's head.

"Simple! To solve my challenge, you have to visit different islands and collect 8 _objects_-

"Objects?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow while Robin opened the notebook she had used to write down the riddle in and started scribbling.

"Yes, objects. Now stop interrupting midget," Tara replied with a small smile while Usopp and Chopper held back the enraged swordsman with trouble, "Now, as I was saying, 8 objects from these different islands. To get to the island however, you have to solve a riddle!"

"Of course," Nami muttered while Sanji was rummaging around in the kitchen putting the plates up. Tara looked over at the noise before snapping her fingers, Sanji jumped back in surprise when the plates and utensils all flew to their proper places.

"So what's the next riddle?" Ace asked while trying to get a squirming Luffy to settle down, the younger D was not interested in the prospect of solving riddles.

"Hm, I don't feel like telling you, maybe ask nicer," Tara said while looking away and smirking in a smug look, Nami was trying not to jump the chick while Ace was busy counting to ten, Luffy was laughing to himself.

"How about tell us or we'll kick your butt!" Luffy proclaimed with a large smile while the others sweat-dropped.

"How about no?" Tara responded while sticking her tongue out, causing the younger D to be held back by his older brother who was sighing and counting to ten again.

"Tara-san? Could you please tell us the next riddle?" Michelle asked while tugging on Tara's skirt again. Tara looked down at the girl before nodding her head and smiling widely.

"Of course Michelle-nee! Now, do you all have some paper like earlier?" Tara asked the shocked crew.

"You say yes to her but not us?" Usopp complained while Tara blinked slowly before smiling widely.

"Yup!"

"Brat," Franky muttered softly before Robin's notebook flew out of her hands and hit him square on the back of the head before flying into Tara's hands.

"Heard that!" she responded playfully before turning to a blank page and holding her hand over it and leaving her eye-lids half-open, "Now...your next riddle is this," Tara spoke while her pigtails swirled in the sudden breeze that had flew past them.

_**Riddle me this, Riddle me that, can you all tell me who I am? I"ll give you this hint now, lest you start to think I'm rude. I am something that can't be touched, seen, smelled, tasted or heard. I am something you feel though. I vary greatly in my tasks, being neutral, pleasant or unpleasant depending on the mood. I am only expressed for the briefest of moments before my sisters and brothers follow. So, have you guessed it yet? Can you tell me what my name is?**_

_**X**_

"What...the heck..." Nami spoke up as Tara smiled and handed the book over to Michelle who looked thoughtful at the riddle.

"Now, let's see if you can solve this riddle! Ah! I almost forgot," Tara mumbled to herself while looking towards Sanji and bending down, "I heard it's my fault you lost your smoking habit right?"

Yeah..." Sanji replied in apprehension, nothing good could come form this chick he was certain.

"Well! I have a solution for that! Here ya go," Tara replied with a large smile while snapping her fingers before a white stick was protruding from Sanji's mouth. The others looked confused while he took it out.

"A l-lollipop?" Usopp asked in confusion while Sanji's eyebrow twitched. Tara smiled widely as did Zoro.

"Yup! Best part, it never goes away, so even if you throw it away, it always comes back!"

"Like this?" Sanji asked while hopping on a chair and throwing it out a porthole. The others looked on in surprise at the usually calm cook while Sanji smirked, only to stop when a few seconds passed and the sucker appeared back in his mouth.

"Yup! Just like that, and it's cherry," Tara smiled widely while a dejected Sanji fell to his knees in horror. He was sucking a...lollipop...nothing could be worse than this, right? Oh, well, there was the whole kid forever thing.

"Oi! That's not even funny you-" whatever Nami was about to say it was cut off when they looked to see Tara was gone, much to their irritation, "Every time," Nami vehemently muttered while sliding off her chair and taking the map with her outside. The others looked confused as to what to do next.

"What was the riddle again? It was too long!" Luffy whined while Ace simply smiled nervously and Zoro and Franky sighed in annoyance. This was going to be a long day indeed.

X

"Okay, it can't be seen, heard, tasted, touched, or smelled...So what does that leave?" Usopp asked as he and the others sat around the deck. Zoro had his eyes closed but was listening since Nami had threatened him and yelled that_ everybody _was going to help solve this.

"Um, maybe it's the past?" Chopper spoke uncertainly before the letter rearranged to spell a negative answer that made the little reindeer dart behind Usopp and shake in fear while hiding. Usopp was smiling nervously while petting the little agitated fluff ball.

"Was that really necessary!" Franky yelled at the book before the words rearranged themselves again, into something also not so nice. Nami was muttering to herself while glaring at the map in front of her.

"What's wrong Nami-onee-san?" Michelle asked while climbing into a chair beside the older girl and leaning over to look at the map also.

"It's this map...it doesn't make any sense..." Nami answered back in a quiet voice while Franky stood up suddenly.

"I got it! It's a dream!" Franky shouted in a confident voice while Luffy looked at the book before looking back at the shipwright.

"No, it says you're-"

"Luffy! Language!" Ace yelled while hastily interrupting Luffy before reaching over to hand the book full of moving letters to Franky, who paled and flopped back down in his spot next to Robin's chair.

"She didn't have to be that mean..." Franky mumbled dejectedly while Luffy and Usopp chuckled into their hands.

"Oi ero-cook! Why don't you try guessing?" Zoro yelled from his spot against the rails to the dejected yellow-haired lump sitting behind Nami's chair.

"Urusai...baka..." Sanji muttered mostly to himself while taking the lollipop Tara had 'given' him and throwing it over the side of the deck, only for it to reappear back in his mouth, although it did start to taste saltier.

"Sanji-san, why don't you just try giving it a guess?" Michelle spoke up quietly from her seat beside a frowning Nami. Sanji barely gained any life from one of the girls talking to him, he did look up however.

"Hai...what about a word?" Sanji muttered while the letters rearranged themselves as he threw his lollipop overboard, again.

"It says, 'No, but good guess though,'" Ace told Sanji while reading the letters.

"How come his reply was so nice," Franky and Chopper muttered to themselves while Brook laughed.

"Maybe it's someone's inner self! Yohoho!" Brook laughed before becoming dejected upon reading the words that had formed.

"That was harsh bro," Franky muttered while patting Brook on the back.

"What do you mean the map doesn't make sense?" Michelle asked from her earlier conversation with Nami. Nami sighed before looking up and leaning back in her chair.

"I mean this map is showing islands that aren't even close to each other, some we've been too and some I've never even heard of! The ocean itself doesn't even seem to make sense with it's currents!" Nami complained while Sanji headed towards the kitchen on the intent of getting drinks for everyone.

"Maybe it's cause this is a challenge, so the map isn't meant to make sense," Luffy spoke while messing with his sandal while Ace slept beside him, both of the boys were sitting against one of the trees on the lower deck while the others were sitting at the table on the upper deck.

"Luffy's answer does make sense...wait..." Usopp muttered while he Chopper and Brook darted behind Franky, "Luffy never makes sense! So why now..."

"Bakas," Nami muttered under her breath while she and Robin looked at the riddle again. Michelle climbed on top of her chair while trying to balance carefully before looking at the map and book.

"You're gonna fall if you do that," Zoro muttered from his spot at the rails while watching Michelle's shaky balance with one eye open. Michelle seemed to hesitate in her balancing act before sitting back in her chair as Kayla jumped onto the back of her chair and meowed before jumping in the girl's lap.

"Maybe it's an emotion..." Nami muttered while Robin looked surprised for a second, which Franky noticed.

"What?"

"The words shimmered again," Robin muttered quietly while shaking her head in thought, "Maybe the answer is hope..."

The words rearranged themselves to form a longer message than usual, 'Nope. It's not hope but you're getting closer and closer, for the answer is an emotion, but can you guess which one I wonder?'

"Well...that narrows it down somewhat," Usopp contemplated while Sanji came back from the kitchen and started passing everyone drinks, girls first of course.

"Uncertainty," Usopp answered _uncertainly_ before Franky spoke up.

"Doubt!"

"Happiness?" Nami asked while all three looked to the book before flopping down depressed. The words were not so kind this time.

"Patience?"

"Is that even an emotion?" Sanji asked while Zoro glared back after having even given an answer.

"Apparently it's not..." Michelle replied while reading what the words had said which made Michelle torn between frowning and giggling. Nami was full out laughing, as was Sanji when he saw the answer.

"Hm, maybe we're just not thinking hard enough," Ace muttered while finally waking up from beside Luffy, who was on his back staring at the sky with spaced out eyes.

"How about love?" Michelle asked the paper only to get a no. It was a nice encouraging no however, as compared to the others' dejecting insults.

"Worry," Robin voiced while writing down answers on the opposite page, only to write and x beside those who weren't right, including hers, although it was nice-ish reply as well.

"Jealousy?" Franky half-asked while looking away from the paper.

"No, but close," Robin replied with a smile in her tone as she read the reply, which Franky was too afraid to read.

"Sarcasm," Usopp said in a voice that was filled with his answer. Chopper giggled into his hooves while Michelle also laughed in her chair, the reply was not so funny however as Usopp broke down into tears behind a sighing Franky.

Luffy yawned before quickly sitting up and surprising Ace who thought his brother had passed out from the boredom.

"It's surprise," Luffy spoke up while the letters shimmered brighter than before before spelling out the word 'correct.' The whole deck looked towards their usual dim-witted captain who was picking his nose at the moment.

"Luffy," Nami spoke quietly while turning her head towards the small boy.

"How did you know that..." Sanji finished while trying once again to throw his lollipop over-board. He failed as usual, but he was too absorbed in the miracle that had taken place.

"Eh...why wouldn't I, it's simple!" Luffy replied before yawning and drinking the juice Sanji had brought out, Ace scratched the back of his head while the others had mixed emotion.

"Why do you D's always get the answers so quickly," Tara muttered from her sitting position in the middle of the table, which caused most of the people sitting around the table to be scared out of their chairs and onto the deck, except Robin and Michelle.

"QUIT IT!" Franky, Nami, and Sanji all screamed at the smiling girl who was close to giggles as she watched everyone sitting on the ground.

"It's so much fun though!" Tara replied while others were held back by worried crew-members. Tara chuckled before looking towards Luffy with a small smile, "Luffy-san got it right through, the answer is surprise...don't know how though...Stupid D's..." Tara muttered under her breath while crossing her arms like a child who had lost.

"Excuse me Tara-san, but does this also have something to do with the Will of D?" Robin asked while looking at Tara with interest. Tara looked up before smiling widely.

"Yup! You must be really smart to know all that Robin-san, I'm impressed! But, for now I need to tell you all the next part of your challenge!"

"What's that..." Usopp asked nervously while finally releasing the angered Nami he had been holding back.

"Hmm...I don't feel like telling you!" Tara laughed while Usopp looked slightly depressed which caused Tara to frown a little, "ah, gomen-na...Want a lollipop?" she asked with a large smile, as if knowing what would happen next.

"No! I'm good!" Usopp yelled while hiding behind Franky. No way did he want to get stuck with a lollipop in his mouth forever like...well...Usopp looked over towards the half-glowering half-depressed lump that was Sanji. It was a little amusing actually...Not that he would ever say that.

"I'm tired..." Michelle muttered randomly while Kayla meowed what sounded like a chuckle. The cat skillfully jumped down onto the floorboards before transforming into her half-panther form. She gently picked up the nodding Michelle up from her chair and carried her over to Zoro before dropping her in his lap.

"Oi! Why me," Zoro hissed in a quiet voice since Michelle had already fallen asleep and was clutching Zoro's shirt tightly. Kayla just purred before walking back towards Tara and whining softly.

"Oh fine...you always take the fun out of things Kayla," Tara muttered while looking towards Nami, "Do you still have the map?" The others looked a little surprised that Tara could understand what Kayla had said. It was a little strange.

"Yeah, it's on the table you're sitting on," Nami replied, the end of her sentence sounding more mean than it should have. Tara blinked before looking down to see she was indeed sitting on the map. She floated off the table a little bit before waving her hand that started shimmering.

"Well than, now that you've, finally, solved the riddle it's time you visit your first island and collect the first object," Tara explained while waving a glowing pink hand over the map.

"Ano..Tara-san, what object are we supposed to collect?" Brook asked while coming up the stairs to stand behind Franky and Usopp, who were still wondering why Tara was even here.

"Yeah, and what island? That map doesn't even make sense!" Nami complained, slightly quieter than normal since Michelle was still asleep on an irritated Zoro.

"Object? It's a secret. Island? It's one you've been to! As for the map not making sense, it does, to the right person..." Tara answered the questions one by one, each making everyone even more confused than the last.

"Huh?" most of the crew managed to ask while Robin looked down at the map before her eyes widened.

"Nami, doesn't this island right here looked familiar?" Robin asked while pointing to the small glowing island at the far left end of the map. Nami looked confused before climbing into one of the chairs at the table while glaring at Tara, who moved when she saw she was in the way, although sulkily. Nami stood up on the chair before looking where Robin was pointing only for her eyes to narrow.

"But...that's Water 7...so we have to go to Water 7 than?" Nami asked in confusing while looking towards the floating girl only to see...

"Again!" the others shouted to see that Tara was gone as she always was.

_Good Luck~_

"I hate her..." Nami muttered while picking the map up and carrying it over towards the wheel, "Franky, come here."

"Uh, hai," Franky muttered while getting up to follow the small navigator towards the wheel, it was best not to fight back with her right now.

"Brook, Robin, get the sails down, Zoro, Sanji-kun, pull the anchor up. Usopp, Chopper work the ropes and be careful, you could get hurt now that your smaller. Ace-kun, bring me up some maps from the library, Luffy, go downstairs and get my astrolabe in Usopp's workshop, he was messing with it earlier," Nami muttered the last part as she finished giving the instructions. Everyone nodded their heads before running off.

"Ryokai!" everyone responded while getting up to do their duty, "Oi, what about her?" Zoro asked as he tried to pry the sleeping girl off of him, only to have nothing work.

"How about Kayla helps?" Luffy asked while looking towards the large panther who purred before padding over and picking Michelle up gently by her shirt and heading towards one of the trees on the lower deck. Once there she curled around the sleeping child like she was a kitten.

"Eh? What's that noise?" Usopp asked while he and Chopper head towards their jobs, they looked over towards the strange noise they heard coming from Kayla and Michelle.

"I think it's coming from Michelle-san," Brook said while heading towards the mast only to stop and look at the small girl who was smiling in her sleep.

"She's purring..." Ace muttered under his breath while picking up his drinking cup and climbing towards the library. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"Eh?"

"When she sleeps she usually purrs, the rest of the guys thinks she was raised by cats," Ace replied while snickering and taking a sip from the cup before walking back towards the library.

"Purring..." Usopp muttered while Chopper giggled.

"Weird..." Sanji and Zoro mumbled before walking towards the anchor, another argument starting up, this one about the lollipop.

"Stupid door!" the others looked over to see Luffy was hanging onto a door handle with his feet off the ground while he looked frustrated. The others tried to hold in their laughter as camera clicks were heard from the other side of the ship. Luffy finally got the door opened as he walked inside while looking mad at his height, or lack of.

"Stupid crazy girl," Luffy muttered to himself while walking towards Usopp's workshop thankful to see that this door was open before walking in. The gentle rocking of the ship meant that the others were still trying to set sail.

"Now...what did Nami need...and astrolobster...no...astro...globe, fobe, lobty, lotty, lobey, labe? No that can't be right..." Luffy muttered to himself while looking around the room, he finally saw a bright compass looking object on the table in front of him.

"Astrolabe," Luffy muttered under his breath while his eyes slightly glazed over, "a object used by sailors to determine the latitude and position of a ship, often used by the navigators...Yatta! I found it!" Luffy yelled the last part while stretching his arms to a length high enough to grab it, although this time he noticed he had trouble controlling the direction. He finally managed to wrap his arm around the object before he fell backwards as his arm snapped back. Man that thing was heavy!

"Now to go back up deck," Luffy muttered while struggling to pick the large device up as he staggered over towards the door only for a sudden wave to hit the ship, causing him not only to lose his already shaky balance and fall backwards but for the door to snap close with an eerie click that Luffy decided he didn't like too much.

Jumping up Luffy ran to the door before trying to reach the knob to turn it, only to find he could stretch his arms, freaking out a little bit he tried kicking the door, punching it, and everything else he could think of, he even tried using every gomu power he could, even going so far as to try and activate second gear, only to find that nothing worked.

Luffy continued to stare at the door as he panted from his spot on the ground while tears started gathering in his eyes without warning. What was happening to him...

"Ace...nee-chan...help..." Luffy muttered while finally breaking down into tears.

X

"Hm?" Ace looked up from collecting Nami's maps to see the glass he had been drinking from had suddenly broke as a large crack appeared in the side, "The cup broke..."

* * *

**A common myth is that when a cup breaks it mean someone that you know is in trouble. Also, thank you all for the answers to the riddle you submitted, I appriecated them all, and, as you can guess, you all got it wrong haha! Also *deflects swords and punches* I'm sorry for cliffhanger, I'll update soon, I hope... heh *fires flaming arrows* GOMEN-NA!**


	21. Water 7 Arrival

**Ha! Five thousand one hundred and fourty eight words of chapter. Tell me who ya love! Obviously not me~Okay. My excuse this time, Invader Zim. I've been reading a bunch of fanfiction on it and now I wanna do a story~I'm so addicted on it and it's so wonderful! IZ rules! I still love One Piece of course. Welp, I know you are probably gonna murder me for being gone for so long, so...*grabs arrows and shield* BRING IT ON!**

**Disclaimer...Srs? It's a disclaimer...I'M DISCLAIMING OWNERSHIP OBVIOUSLY! I do own Tara though. And Michelle. And Kayla. And the Council and the 'monster' and that mysterious dude from the prolouge and...**

**_You might wanna read the story, this could take a while..._**

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Chapter 18 ~

**x**

**o**

**x**

_Luffy continued to stare at the door as he panted from his spot on the ground while tears started gathering in his eyes without warning. What was happening to him..._

"_Ace...nee-chan...help..." Luffy muttered while finally breaking down into tears._

_X_

"_Hm?" Ace looked up from collecting Nami's maps to see the glass he had been drinking from had suddenly broke as a large crack appeared in the side, "The cup broke..." _

_**x**_

_**o**_

_**x**_

"How the heck are we supposed to get back to Water 7 anyways?" Franky asked as he tried to fix a small object he hand in his hands with a screwdriver. He did admit, the goggles Nami had made him wear were good for something. He chanced glancing over at Nami, who was pouring over all the maps she had made the flame-boy bring up, she was starting to gain the habit of squinting her eyes and banging her head on the table every few seconds.

"I have no freaking idea," she hissed while scratching her head in frustration before slightly turning to fix their shipwright in a fierce glare, "if you're just gonna stand there fiddling with something random, than go do something constructive!"

"H-Hai!" Franky squeaked before darting off without a second thought, he knew not to mess with their navigator when she was like that, Nami could be _supa _scary when she wanted to be. Franky glumly started walking down the stairs when he saw Ace underneath the tree scratching his head and staring at his cup from that morning which Franky noticed had a large crack in it, "What are you doing?"

"Hm?" Ace muttered in a spaced out voice before looking up to see the blue-haired man standing over him with a raised eyebrow, "Ah, Franky. Hey, I have a question. What's it mean when a cup you're drinking out of suddenly cracks?"

"It means the cook is gonna kick you ass," Sanji muttered from behind Ace, who jumped before a series of chills went down his back. The older D reluctantly turned his head around to see Sanji standing behind him with angrily narrowed eyes and a tray holding everyone's cups from earlier.

"It wasn't my fault though! It just cracked on it's own when I was getting Nami's maps," Ace defended while raising his arms up in a pleading jesture before quickly scooting backwards and out of the cook's range.

"Doesn't that mean something bad happened to someone close to ya or something?" Franky asked while rubbing his chin. Usopp, who had the chance to pass by, grinned widely before materializing behind Franky, who looked startled at the snipers fast movements.

"Tsk tsk Franky. Surely someone of your calibur must know that when a cup breaks it means someone you hold dear, has died!" Usopp exclaimed dramatically as his eyes snapped open and his hand rested underneath his chin in a position that suggested he was a hundred percent correct, but, it _is_ Usopp after all.

"EH! REALLY!" Brook and Chopper shouted from behind Sanji and Ace, who looked shocked when the two shouted out while appearing behind them. The two's hands were covering their faces with looks of shock adorning both, Sanji and Ace were just shocked from the two's sudden apperation.

"But of course," Usopp responded while looking like he knew everything and was absoulutely correct. Which he wasn't of course, but he was pretty close for Usopp.

"Baka! When a cup cracks it means someone close to you was injured or lost in a fight or something," Sanji muttered while picking up Ace's cup and setting it on the tray in his hand before sighing at their stupidity. Honestly, did they have nothing better to do?

"So...someone I'm really close to just got hurt...but who..." Ace mumbled while scratching his head and trailing off before everyone went silent before dark expression adorned their faces..._'Luffy!'_

"I'm gonna go check up on Luffy!" Ace shouted from behind his back as he was already down the ladder to the docking bay, they could only see his hat when he shouted back. Everyone blinked and stared at the empty space before Franky spoke up.

"Wow...flame boy moves fast," Franky murmured while the others nodded in agreement.

"Well, he does have a pretty big brother complex," Usopp spoke up while everyone nodded in agreement.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR! GET TO WORK!" Nami screamed from the upper deck causing all the guys to jump in fear before scattering like leaves in a gale. They were pretty sure Nami was stressing over the maps a bit.

"GOMEN-NASAI! I DIDN'T MEANT TOO-" the sudden screaming caused all the guys to jump in surprise again before whipping around only to see that Michelle was sitting up and had her eyes wide open before she rubbed them tiredly and yawned, tear gathering at the corner of her eyes.

_'Kawaii!' _everyone thought as she blinked and stood up before stumbling into a position where her feet were pointed towards her and she was clutching her shirt hem, less than a few seconds later she was being hugged tightly around the neck by Nami, which served to scare the guys even more.

"You're so cute~!" Nami exclaimed while Michelle blinked some more before smiling widely and making a purring noise that made Usopp and Chopper giggle, "Get moving you idiots," Nami hissed towards the guys as an afterthought, which caused them to scatter. Quickly.

**X**

"Luffy!" Ace yelled loudly while making his way down the hallway, swilving his head every few seconds. That kid seemed to get into trouble even on his own ship, what kind of irresponsible and totatly childish captain was like that...Ace's thoughts trailed off as an image of a laughing red-haired man with three scars over his eye popped into his head suddenly before he shivered...oh yeah, that kind.

"Oi! Luffy!" Ace shouted once more, starting to worry a little before he heard a large gasp for air and what sounded like someone trying their hardest not to cry. Ace blinked confusingly before slowly creeping his way toward the source of the noise, "Luffy?"

"Nee-chan!" Ace had started worrying before when he heard the younger crying but now he was starting to freak out when he heard Luffy start to bang against the door. No way Luffy was ever that scared, except for a few things only he and a few others knew about, almost nothing scared him, not even seeing Garp naked at that party when he came visit, Ace shuddered before his expression became dark. One day he was gonna kill that old man, and here he had just started to forget...He was pretty thankful no one was here to seem act so oddly.

"Hold on Luffy!" Ace yelled back while trying to jiggle the handle only to find it was stuck pretty tight, he than backed up and was about to kick the door down, but a second before his foot hit the door he thought again since both Nami and Franky would get mad at him. And if he got Nami mad that meant Sanji would be mad too...and Michelle...ugh...Ace slowly put his foot down before shuddering. Luffy's crew was way to crazy to even _try _to mess with.

"Nee-chan!" Luffy cried out from behind the door, this time he sounded far more panicked and was kicking and pounding harder against the door than before, which caused Ace to freak out even more than he usually would. He knew how strong Luffy was, he knew that kid could've broken down that door down in a second easily with his gomu powers, so why wasn't he?

"I'm coming Luffy!" Ace yelled out before stepping backwards and ramming against the door, forget Nami and Franky and the others, his little brother worried him way more, "Gah!" Ace rammed the door at the exact same time the door decided to become unstuck, causing him to barrel full force into the room and trip over the large astroblabe Luffy had been instructed to to retrieve causing him to hit the wall before landing on his stomach, "Itee..."

A sudden lurch of the ship caused Ace to roll backwards before hitting the wall, again, before he heard a large slam and a sharp click from where the door was. He found himself on his back now by with a large headache before he found himself groaning before he felt a lump of flesh crash into him as the ship lurched again. Could this day _possibly_ get any worse?

**X**

"No, no, no there's _no way_ on this planet thosetwo would end up together," Usopp muttered back at the small reindeer next to him who frowned as the two scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

"Than what about Nami and Sanji?" Chopper asked while crossing something out on the paper with a thick pen. Usopp sighed before taking on the look of the wiser older sibling he saw himself as.

"Chopper Chopper Chopper, surely by now you should know those two would never end up together. Sanji flirts with every girl he lays eyes on while Nami beats any guy that angers her, and cheating on her would _definitely _anger her. Those two would never work out," Usopp explained wisely while stroking his chin before Chopper's eyes widened.

"You're so smart Usopp!" Chopper praised while smiling and giggling cutely, thus furthering the sniper's already huge ego.

"But of course my dear furry friend. So than how about Franky and Robin? Those two would-"

"What about me and Robin?" Franky asked from behind the two boys as he crouched down to their level, which greatly spooked them as they suddenly froze up and turned around slowly before gulping.

"N-Nothing," the two stuttered as they pathetically tried to hide the piece of paper they were scribbling on, only for Franky to use his height to an unfair advantage as he grabbed the paper from behind their backs.

"Couples on the ship?" Franky asked with a raised eyebrow while reading the sentace at the top of the paper before reading the paper and trying to hold in a snicker, "If Nami sees you wrote down her and Zoro on this she'll pretty much kill you, you know that right?"

"I know! But Usopp wanted to write that couple down, I wanted Nami and Sanji to be on the paper!" Chopper whined with tears in his eyes while Usopp looked offended and crossed his arms before huffing and mumbling about no apprieciation.

"I agree with Usopp-san on this one I believe, Sanji-san and Nami-san would never work out," Brook spoke up from behind Franky, causing the former cyborg to fall on his butt before twisting around to see the skeleton kneeling beside him and looking at the paper that had floated to the floor, a few shivers went down Franky's back before he spoke up.

"Oi, don't do that," Franky hissed before calming his heart and looking at the list once more, "I agree with Chopper though, at least the little miss has more chance of being together with the cook than with the swordsman. I think the new little sword-girl would be a better match with him," Franky explained logically while trying to look like the superior expert on couples.

"No way, Zoro's too much of an anti-social person to hook up with a nice girl like Michelle-chan," Usopp argued back with the others before crossing his arms in defiance.

"I think Franky and Robin would go better together than the other couples so far," a voice spoke up from behind all four. An eerily familiar voice that caused the guys to pale before their suspicion was confirmed by the purring noise that accompanied the voice.

"M-M-Michelle!"

"Hm? Nani?" Michelle asked while tilting her head and looking innocent as ever with Kayla in her smaller kitten form beside her, if cats could smile, this one would be smirking.

"W-We thought you were a-asleep," Usopp stuttered while waving his hands around entergetically as Franky tried to pass the paper to Chopper to hide it, or eat it.

"I was sleeping, but than I woke up," Michelle explained like it was the simplist thing in the world before smiling widely before digging in the small messenger bag on her shoulder that Nami had given her earlier, "by the way, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"F-For what?" Chopper asked as he quickly threw the paper over-board when Michelle's head was turned away while the others looked confused at the young girl's apology.

"I don't' believe you have done anything to us Michelle-san," Brook stated before he blinked and opened his mouth a little as four wallets landed on the deck in front of them, their wallets.

"Ja na!" Michelle exclaimed before running off towards Robin and her, as always, large pile of books on the upper deck, leaving the guys stupefied, how did she do it? She was truly one strange girl. They're just lucky Nami hadn't caught them-

"Oh, and what do we have going on here?" a dark and sinister voice from behind them asked menicingly, they didn't even have to turn around before they started to shiver and beg any god that was listening for mercy for they had heard the thunder starting to crackle, they knew what would happen next, "Thunderbolt tempo," a small voice hissed.

Robin looked over and chuckled into her hand when she saw Nami whistling and walking away from four burnt crispy crew-mates that were twitching and looked half-dead. The only sign that they were alive was the moaning coming from all of them. It was quite comical actually.

X

"Ngh, hey Luffy? Are you okay?" Ace quietly asked from the pitch blackness the two had been plunged into. Even if they didn't have to whisper, if kinda felt right to. After the ship had started moving they had been thrown across the room with the door locking behind them, something Ace didn't enjoy very much.

"Itee, that hurt~" Luffy whined just as softly while Ace quietly sighed in relief, at least he knew Luffy was okay if he was acting as he normally did. Some struggling and moving at his feet brought his full attention to the small dark form he could barely make out in the dark. A oversized straw-hat identified the object as none other than his crazy little brother.

"Why couldn't you get out of here earlier? Afraid of Nami's wrath?" Ace teased while waiting for the boy's angry comeback that he would never be afraid of a girl like Nami. Ace started to worry since Luffy had chosen that exact moment to go silent. Ace saw the darkened figure fidget from side to side, a sure sign he was upset, before he felt something clasp tightly around his waist, "Eh?"

"Mrphm," Luffy muttered into Ace's shirt, who was blinking confusingly and had no clue what the boy had said. Ace sighed before gently resting his arms around Luffy's frame and knocking his hat backwards to hang around his neck. Quickly putting a hand on the younger's head before he could resist or fight, which he was starting to, Ace started gently running his hand through the boy's hair, the effect was instantaneous as he immediately relaxed.

"Now, why couldn't you get out of here?" Ace asked softly while still running his hand through Luffy's hair and waiting for an answer from the small boy, who was struggling to keep silent. He felt Luffy twist from side-to-side a little before hugging Ace's waist even tighter. Ace chuckled to himself at how the kid always gave death-grip hugs.

"I...I couldn't use my powers...I tried everything, and nothing worked," Luffy muttered in a flat and dead tone that was void of any emotion. Ace's eyes grew wider as he stared at Luffy in shock. Luffy...lost his powers?

X

"Ne, Robin-san...Can...Can I talk to you?" Robin looked up a little startled when she saw Michelle was standing next to the table, which was a little taller than her, while clutching Kayla to her chest tightly.

"Sure, Michelle-chan," Robin replied softly while smiling gently and closing her book. Quickly pulling a chair up to the table Robin lifted the confused Michelle and set her in the chair gently, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, um..." Michelle fidgeted back and forth in her seat a few seconds before looking up shyly and speaking in a near whisper, "I didn't know who else to talk about it too...and you seemed like you would understand most of it...but..."

"Yes?" Robin asked gently with her soft smile. Michelle swallowed before looking down and speaking in a rush as if someone would interrupt her.

"I-I'm scared...because I lost my memories. I don't know what to do about it either! It feels as if everyone is counting on me and I can't do anything to help them! I...I use to know what these trials were and now I don't even know who Tara-san is and I-I...I don't know what to do anymore..." Michelle mumbled sadly as tears worked their way to gather in her eyes. Robin smiled softly before gently patting Michelle on the head, who looked up surprised.

"It's okay. No one expects anything more of you than to be yourself. Besides, some like you just the way you are," Robin finished before glancing over at Zoro who had been leaning against the rails with one eye open and listening to the conversation. The swordsman suddenly found himself looking away and blushing brightly, thankful that Michelle had her back to him.

"R-Really?" Michelle stuttered back before Robin nodded softly while smiling, "A-Arigatou Robin-san," Michelle sniffled while smiling, "I sometimes feel...as if this crew is one big family...it makes me feel like I'm forgetting something from a long time ago..." Michelle trailed off in a dreamy tone while smiling serenely.

"Mm, I know what you mean, and they are like one big family, aren't they?" Robin asked with amusement while Michelle nodded back enthusiastically, "I used to think the same, but before I knew it, I was part of this family. I wouldn't change it for the world though..." Robin trailed off with a smile as she patted Michelle's head again.

"I know! Even the couples are obvious, like Nami-onee-san and Sanji-san!" Michelle exclaimed smiling widely while Robin chuckled out loud, which caused a few stares from some of the others, Robin didn't usually laugh so much.

"Hai, even though they'd never admit it, Nami and Sanji-kun are a good match together," Robin agreed with a slight smile while Michelle laughed with her and Kayla purred from her lap.

"I do have one question though...is there anything special between Ace-kun and Luffy-san...they seem closer than normal brothers would be," Michelle pondered while Robin smiled a secret smile before nodding her head.

"They do seem close don't they," she spoke softly while looking out towards the sea with a soft smirk before Michelle nodded back as Kayla made a soft noise of agreement.

"I bet Ace jumps Luffy as soon as we get turned back to our normal ages," Michelle muttered quietly, but still loud enough for Zoro to here, who was now shaking his head trying to get horrible images out of his head while Robin chuckled again, who knew this girl could think of such things.

"I think Ace-kun has more will power than you might give him credit for," Robin replied while picking up a large book and beginning to open it as Usopp was starting to chase Chopper and Brook over some silly argument on the lower deck. The girls watched while giggling and chuckling at how crazy this ship truly was sometimes.

X

"Y-You...lost your powers?" Ace stuttered while still patting Luffy's head without even thinking about it anymore. No way, it wasn't possible for Luffy to lose his powers, he still had them at this age, right? So what the heck was happening to his little brother!

"Hai...I got scared because I don't remember what it's like living without them anymore..." Luffy muttered in a toneless voice while Ace sighed. He wasn't surprised, the boy had these powers since he was 7, there was no way he could go back to being normal now, not that he was very normal to begin with either thanks to a certain old man.

"If that Tara chick did something..." Ace trailed off, his thoughts taking a dark turn before he felt Luffy twist around in his arms before looking up with the same blank and cold expression as before.

"Nee-chan? What happens if my powers never come back?" Luffy asked, his tone and face not changing one bit from their emotionless mask that was starting to worry Ace.

"Don't worry Luff. I promise, I will make sure you get your powers back. I'll make sure of it," Ace murmured while holding Luffy closer than before. This was bigger than his stupid brother complex. Yeah, he knew he had one, he'd known it since he met the kid, even if he tried to deny it. What was worrying him more however is that Luffy and his crew were on the _Grand Line_, about to head to the New World. If he went there now, after having lived his whole life with those powers...who knew what would happen now that they were gone...

"Nee-chan...is it my fault?" Luffy asked while tugging his brother's shirt, who looked down surprised at the strange question.

"Is what your fault Lu?"

"This whole mess with getting turned into children...because I goof off all the time I put the others in danger," Luffy muttered while tears began to gather at the edges of his eyes, "If I were serious than none of this would've ever happened...no one would be in danger..." Luffy trailed off with tears falling down his cheeks while his face was still in the emotionless state that it had been as Ace continued running his hand through the younger's hair.

"Luffy..." Ace murmured before stopping his petting and holding Luffy tight enough to where the younger couldn't talk anymore, "I promise...none of this was your fault...I will fix everything...I promise you that."

X

"I. Don't. Get. It," Nami hissed in frustration before tossing her pen harshly on the floor and banging her head against the table. She'd been pouring over that map since they first got it and she still had no clue as what to do with it. It didn't match up with any of the other maps she had and it didn't even look like a map. More like a piece of parchment with squiggles on it. Probably a prank by that insane Tara girl.

"Nami-san?" Nami blinked in surprise before raising her head from her arms the tiniest bit before seeing that Sanji was standing beside here with one of her favorite tropical drinks in one hand and her pen in the other. Nami smiled softly before Sanji set the drink on the table in front of her before holding the pen out to her.

"Arigatou Sanji-kun," Nami smiled sweetly before taking the pen from the blonde-haired cook, who instead of doing one of his ridiculous noodle dances or goofy smiles, simply smiled a large bright smile that cheered her up more than anything she could ever think of.

"Maybe you should take a break Nami-san, you've been at this all morning," Sanji replied while looking concerned for the navigator, who smiled in thanks before stretching and sliding down from her chair.

"Aa, you're probably right Sanji-kun," Nami said before walking to the railing to see Michelle was staring at Brook in wonder, who was playing his violin so he could try to get Chopper and Usopp to settle down from their behavior lapses from earlier.

"Hm...I didn't know Michelle-chan loved music so much," Nami muttered with a small smile while Sanji joined her at the rail before smiling himself.

"Oh, you're right, it looks like she really enjoys it too," Sanji chuckled quietly while Nami smiled wider as they watched the girl in interest.

"Ne, Brook-san, do you know this tune?" Michelle asked shyly while tugging on the skeletons pants before reaching him a piece of paper she had been scribbling on.

"Oh, I haven't heard this tune since I was a small child on my home island, I though everyone had forgotten it by now," Brook murmured while the others looked on intrigued. What sort of song was it? Brook laughed lightly before strumming his violin and tuning it before jumping into a beautiful melody. A few seconds later, Michelle began to sing along to it.

X

"Nee-chan," Luffy muttered while Ace hugged him, "I can't breathe..."

"Eh, haha, wari Lu," Ace responded before realizing the younger D had started gasping for breath before coughing. What had happened, the last thing Luffy remembered was behing thrown against Ace once the boat had hit that wave, everything after that was sort of blurry. Or was the word fuzzy.

"Uh...Luffy?" Ace questioned while waving a head in front of the spaced out boy's face, who seemed to be thinking very hard about something. Ace sighed, half from annoyance and half from relief. He was about to question Luffy about his lose of powers when he heard music coming from the upper deck.

"Eh, do you hear that too Nee-chan?" Luffy asked before blinking and looking toward the ceiling. The music sounded sort of upbeat but also kind of melancholy, more like a song you would listen to at night.

"Hey...is that, Michelle...singing!" Ace asked shocked while Luffy looked impressed before smiling widely.

"She's a good singer!" Luffy laughed while Ace sighed before chuckling. How was it she was so brave and easy to interact with here, but on Whitebeard's ship she was anti-social and hated to be around people for very long.

"Yeah, guess she is, though she usually doesn't sing much..." Ace murmured softly, he had remembered asking her why she was so good at singing but didn't like it and she just said it was something to do with a council she had been on a while ago...

X

"I walk these streets and people look, no nothing about myself," Michelle started singing as if she had sang this song her whole life. Usopp and Chopper had stars in their eyes while the others looked surprised but were smiling.

"I run away from all this pain, maybe they'll forgive me," here Michelle started to pick up the tempo while smiling and singing louder before standing up and swaying back and forth.

"Run to the end of this journey, I run from your touch," the song began to get slower in tempo for a second as Michelle sang the next line with half-lidded eyes, "Your concerned figure follows..."

Here the tempo started to pick up into a more steady and upbeat tone while Michelle was smiling hugely and started to spin and twirl in circles beside Kayla who was purring and dancing along with the young girl.

"You say, 'Ignore defeat and walk in front of these people," Michelle paused here and took a breath before singing the next line, "Search for you memories because you are strong," a shift in the music caused it to become slightly slower for a second.

"Face you fears and find your strength," faster, "because we're together. Open your eyes~" Michelle now looked to be in her own little world by now.

"I walk these streets all alone, someone shouts after me," a slower tempo started up for the next line, "Stronger than myself, I'm afraid of the darkened path I walk," Michelle was now dancing to the rhythm while smiling happily, the ship meanwhile seemed to be rocking back and forth on a wave no one noticed.

"I slip into darkness, you grab me and hold on tight," Michelle's eyes became half-lidded while for a second Usopp and Chopper could have sworn her iris' disappeared before the ship lurched violently, but not enough for Brook's song to be interuppted or for Michelle's singing to stop.

"The fear disappears~" the ones who were standing up were thrown to the ground while down below in the docks the door to the workshop Luffy and Ace were trapped in was thrown open. The two looked at each other before running for the door and going to see why the ship was moving like it was, Ace taking time to grab the astrolabe on his way out.

"Now I ignore defeat and walk in front of these people. I search for my memories because I am strong. I face my fears and find my strength because we're together. I open my eyes," Michelle's singing trailed off while her eyes started to gain life and look normal again before Brook's playing trailed off as the last line was sung, "I've opened my eyes..."

x

"Eh...yo little miss?" Franky called out a little nervously while Ace and Luffy finally climbed their way up onto the deck at last. Nami rubbed her head before Sanji helped her up from their spot's on the ground.

"What is it Franky?" the irritated navigator asked. What the heck was all that movement for?

"Uh...I could be wrong...but isn't that Water 7?" Franky asked in disbelief while everyone else quickly looked to where Franky was pointing with his outstretched hand. There, only a few minutes sailing away, was Water 7.

"Yup! Looks like you made it! Most crews take ages to get this far~" Tara laughed while clapping her hands and appearing on the deck beside Michelle, causing those on the lower deck to be shocked into tripping on the ground.

"Tara-san...how did we..." Michelle muttered while looking around and blinking confusingly, "was I singing?"

"Hehe, your answer lies within your question," Tara replied while patting Michelle's head gently while the others looked confused. Kayla meowed suspiciously while circling around Michelle's heels. Looks like they had yet another riddle to solve...


	22. Memories Awake

******GAWD! MY INTERNET'S MESSED UP TO THE MAX MY BROTHER IS KILLING ME WITH HIS ANNOYING CRAP AND I AM SO ANGREY! SO I'M GONNA FREAKIN TYPE TILL I FEEL BETTER SO NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT A LATE CHAPTER YOU-**

_******Uh...I think I'll cut her off there, and that was Michelle btw, not Kit...*shudder* NO! PUT THE CHAINSAW DOWN-**_

******BWAHAHAHAHAHAH DIEEEEE!**

******0.o...Michelle has gone crazier than me...-usual crazy**

Chapter 19 ~

x

"**_Uh...I could be wrong...but isn't that Water 7?" Franky asked in disbelief while everyone else quickly looked to where Franky was pointing with his outstretched hand. There, only a few minutes sailing away, was Water 7._**

_x_

"**_Tara-san...how did we..." Michelle murmured while looking around and blinking confusingly, "was I singing?"_**

"**_Hehe, your answer lies within your question," Tara replied while patting Michelle's head gently while the others looked confused. Kayla meowed suspiciously while circling around Michelle's heels. Looks like they had yet another riddle to solve..._**

_x_

_o_

_x_

"I am so freaking sick of all these riddles," Nami hissed angrily while clutching the railing with white knuckles and trying to regain her balance while Usopp nodded fervently in agreement. Neither of them were very happy with the situation they were currently in.

"Tara-san...explain, now!" Michelle hissed while glaring at the floating girl in front of her. The others looked a little shocked and slightly disturbed since they'd only seen Michelle act sweet and, well, normal till now.

"Eh?" Tara asked in confusion while looking into Michelle's eyes only to shiver before her feet touched the ground, "Y-You got your memories back...didn't you Michelle-nee-san..." Tara slightly stuttered while still shivering and looking only to see Michelle was smiling sinisterly before chuckling.

"Yes. Yes I did, at least a few of them. Details are still sketchy though, now. Tell. Me. What. You. Did," she hissed through clenched teeth while jumping up on the tips of her feet and harshly pulling the girl down by her collar before narrowing her eyes. Tara gulped while starting to look slightly scared.

"Oi, Michelle, don't you think that's a bit too much," Ace asked while holding his hands up and looking somewhat nervous as he watched the girl, he hadn't seen her act like this in a long time, and it was starting to scare him a bit.

"I'm simply asking this crazy little annoying insane girl what the hell she did to us since this test started. Don't try to act innocent Tara, I'm sick of your games so fess up and tell me what you did to get us...here..." Michelle trailed off before her eyes widened as she turned to look at a shocked Tara, "You're putting them through the final test, aren't you?"

"Um...I'm really not allowed to talk about this Michelle-nee-san," Tara mumbled quietly while trying to wiggle her way out of the girl's grasp and escape. Michelle's grip simply tightened even more at the struggling before she smiled wickedly.

"Tara...what are you hiding from me," Michelle asked in a sing-song voice while the others looked on in shock, well, most of them. Luffy was picking his ear in boredom while Chopper and Usopp were hiding behind Franky and shivering. Robin looked on in surprised interest.

"Uh...Michelle-nee-san, um, well..." Tara trailed off trying to stall for time and think of an answer while Michelle started to look even angrier than before.

"Tara...who are those two behind me," Michelle asked quietly and in a deadly voice while the others looked behind Michelle to see Ace and Luffy looking confused. What on earth was she talking about.

"Okay okay. They're D's...the Will of D is as strong in them as it is in you!" Tara shouted while backing up quickly once she found Michelle's grip had gone slack. The others looked on in shock, Michelle was a D? What the heck was going on here! Who exactly were these girls...

"Michelle-chan...you're a D?" Nami asked in amazement while Michelle turned around reluctantly to nod slowly in reply. Robin had a analyzing look while Franky looked like he was barely keeping up. Everyone else looked lost.

"Wait...three D's in a Game...Tara, he's waking up isn't he!" Michelle yelled while looking at Tara with a look of hatred in her eyes that shocked even Ace. Tara looked at the girl sadly before shaking her head slowly and whispering her answer.

"Gomen, Michelle-nee-san...I can't tell you anymore...Mind Lock," Tara whispered the last two words while snapping her fingers, her iris' were once again gone before Michelle's figure wobbled and she started falling backwards. The others looked shocked and tried to move forward to catch her, only to see Zoro already had.

"Ngh...what..." Michelle struggled to sit up with Zoro's help, who had a blank expression, "Wha-? Ano...you're...Tara-san, right?" Michelle asked in an unsure voice while addressing Tara, who was smiling but looked closer to tears than her usual laughing nature.

"Yup! You just got weak for a second and had to sit down, you should be okay now though," Tara bent down to pick the confused Michelle up and hold her close, which surprised the others. Michelle fidgeted a bit before her eyes started closing. Tara was smiling softly as she felt the young girl fall asleep in he arms before looking up at the others.

"Gomen...but Michelle can't know what's going on just yet," Tara explained softly while the others looked either nervous or confused.

"Tara-san, what _is_ going on?" Robin asked while looking over at the young girl. Tara looked at the fourteen-year-old girl with a small smile before a small mewl was heard by her feet. Looking down Tara saw Kayla transform into her half-panther form before circling the pink-haired girl and purring softly.

"Fine...I'll tell them some of it Kayla," Tara whispered while the others looked confused, "This is the Game. You all have to take the test, _that_ there is no fighting against, but this time, if your crew loses, there is so much more at stake...

"A monster whose name can not be said is seeking you now, he will try to stop you from beating the trials, if he succeeds..."

"If he succeeds...what?" Usopp asked while surprisingly not stuttering, but his knees where shaking quite a bit.

"Bad things...very bad things," Tara whispered while hugging Michelle closer and sighing a sad and morose sigh.

"Okay...another question, who is Michelle-chan," Nami asked while looking at Tara with a gaze of mixed emotions. Tara smiled softly before addressing the orange-haired navigator.

"She...is the only one who can help you pass this test..." Tara muttered softly before Kayla purred softly at which Tara gently held out Michelle for the panther to grasp in her teeth and carry towards the others.

"What do we have to do to beat this trial?" a voice asked from behind Tara. The others looked over to see Ace and Luffy looking determined and anything but scared. Tara smiled while chuckling softly and fixing the two with a hopeful gaze.

"If it's you two, than maybe, just maybe this will end up taking a good turn," Tara murmured while smirking and speaking louder, "Simple. Just gather all the bracelets around the islands you visit. One bracelet per island-"

"That's it. Just find a stupid bracelet?" Franky interrupted while pushing goggles up to rest on his forehead, similar to how he kept his sunglasses, before looking slightly suspicious, same as a few of the others.

"Well...you do have to solve a riddle to find the bracelet. The bracelet to find depends on the island, I can tell you this. The first riddle you solved has to do with the bracelet you will find on this island, well...more of a floating city I guess..." Tara trailed off while looking at Water 7, which was looming even closer, causing the others to look at the docks they were heading towards.

"But-Eh?" Everyone looked to see that Tara had disappeared like always, Sanji surprisingly was the one to act the most angry at this.

"WAIT! HOW DO I GET RID OF THIS FREAKING LOLLIPOP!" Sanji screamed at the sky while throwing the said cherry lollipop at the sky which landed in the ocean, only to appear back in his mouth a few seconds later, causing a cursing Sanji to look dejectedly at the sky.

"Uh...shouldn't we check to see if the little swords-girl is okay?" Franky asked while Chopper nodded before padding over to the small girl who was sleeping peacefully.

"She should be fine. Just sleeping for now," Chopper replied while patting the girl's head causing the little child to smile happily and purr softly before Kayla set her down on a surprised Zoro's lap, again.

"Oi! Again!" Zoro hissed in the opposite of amusement while Kayla made a noise that sounded something like a chuckle, which furthered proved to fuel the young first mate's anger, who was trying not to jump up and attack the cat, or take his anger out on Sanji, either one worked.

X

"Okay...find the bracelet and get out, right?" Franky asked while looking nervously from side to side as the crew walked down the streets, he was trailing behind the others, a few laughing at his abnormal behavior.

"Franky-san, could your behavior have something to do with Iceburg-san?" Robin asked while looking towards their shipwright, who froze in place while muttering something to low to hear. Bingo.

"Oh come on Franky, there's no way that Ice-ossan would meet you in this big a city," Usopp patted Franky's back reassuringly while Franky looked up hopeful.

"You think?" the former-cyborg asked feeling a little better before-

"Franky?" an incredulous voice pierced the shipwright's bubble of happiness, a fugitive glance behind him revealed none other than.

"Baka-burg," Franky hissed under his breath before glaring at Usopp, "No way huh?" he asked Usopp with sarcasm before Iceburg walked over to them with amazement on his face. Franky groaned while trying to hide behind someone, no way was this gonna end well...

* * *

GOMEN-NASAI! I'M SORRY IT'S SO FREAKIN SHORT AND FOR THE OUTBURST AT THE TOP! I have been busy on my Naruto fic over on DeviantART, Naruto Night School if you wanna read it-GAH! THIS IS NOT TIME FOR SHAMELESS PLUGGING!

Anyways, a little note. Ahem, one comment said that Michelle was becoming more of a Mary-sue. Let me explain that please, Michelle is kind a like a MS, she's sweet, kind and normal. Plus, she's lost her memories so she has no reason to act angry, sad or suspicious or anything. As proven when she got her memories _back._ Yeah, she can be quite evil...Again, sorry for short chapter, this is just something to let you know that yes, there is hope, no, I have not abandoned this fic...Well...


	23. Phantom Wolves

So...how much do you hate me right now I wonder. Not updating since October. Making you think I'd never update again. Leaving you with that horrible last chapter. Well, I'm Ba~ck~! Sorry, I was working on some other fics... I hope you can forgive me and enjoy this seven page chapter~ It has FraRob in it! It's so cute you'll love it... Please... Don't kill me...

I'm so dead aren't I?

**So so dead. It probably would help if you didn't wait 3-4 moths before updating.**

_Isn't that why she's gonna die? Her lack of updates?_

_Heh, not to mention that it's 3 AM and her Mom is going to kill her when she wakes up in the morning. Or afternoon I suppose is the case._

Oh... Just shut up... You meanies. Also, to those who didn't give up. I salute thee! *serious salute*

* * *

"So...what you're trying to tell me is that you have to take a test given by a small girl in pink pigtails while solving riddles and trying to find bracelets _dealing_ with these riddles along the way?" Iceburg asked in confirmation while Nami and Usopp nodded in unison, glad Iceburg had understood it so quickly.

Said man had graciously invited the others back to his office before they took the chance that someone might notice them as the infamous Mugiwaras and contact the marines. Nami and Usopp had taken it upon themselves once they arrived to try their best to explain what was going on while the others were now scattered around the small office space.

"Mah, maybe we can be of some help than," Iceburg offered while a few of the Galley-La workers that had been with Iceburg at the time he had spotted the crew nodded in agreement, Franky had just been grateful that it was _just_ the Galley-La workers today and none of his old gang members. If just one of them had been there, than Franky _knew_ they would have been way too excited to even _try_ to handle at the moment.

"Really! Arigatou Ice-ossan!" Nami and Usopp both yelled while jumping up happily in their seats. Any help was thankful and welcome if it meant getting back to normal instead of those stupid kiddy forms in their opinions. The sooner the better.

"So, the first bracelet has something to do with the emotion surprise than?" Ace asked while peering over Robin's shoulder. She had taken it upon herself to write down what riddles they had been given so far and all the clues. She wouldn't want them to forget anything that could help them later on. The two of them were sitting on the couch across from Nami and Usopp, Franky in the floor beside their feet.

"I guess...that brat was so vague," Nami crossed her arms in annoyance while looking mad, she hated having to deal with this whole mess in the first place, it was starting to get a tad, okay, _very_ annoying.

"Okay so...we split up and search around the city till we find the stupid bracelet," Franky muttered in a bored tone while sitting on the floor with his back too the couch and tinkering with a small object. Whatever he was working on at the moment it looked to be small and mechanical, something someone such as Usopp would have been working on.

"You calibrated it wrong," Usopp spoke up while watching Franky, who looked up in annoyance.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, it's supposed to turn the other way," Usopp argued back with the shipwright, both being stubborn on who was right. He may have respected Franky as a shipwright, but this was _his_ area of expertise. Zoro let out a sound of annoyance at all the noise since he had been trying to sleep against Franky's side for some reason. Kayla was sleeping heavily in his lap, he could barely sleep on the ship with everyone acting all hyper all the time, now he couldn't even sleep here! Chopper also let out a little squeak, being fast asleep on Franky's other side.

"Baka," Sanji muttered in an annoyed tone, addressing Franky's earlier statement, all the while that they had been there he had been throwing the lollipop of his out the window. It was no use since that _accursed _lollipop always reappeared back in his mouth a few seconds later, "Searching the city won't help if we don't know where we're going, we're searching for a tiny bracelet in this huge island... I hate you," he hissed softly to the red lollipop in his hand before it appeared back in his mouth. Nami and Ace were trying not to laugh at the cook's dilemma while Usopp and Franky were too busy arguing to notice Sanji's own problems..

"Sanji-san's got a point," Michelle mumbled while pulling a book off the shelf she was standing in front of and leafing through it with interest, "About the searching I mean, even though searching the city _would_ be easier than deciphering a riddle that could mean so much... Luffy, don't damage any of the books while you're up there," Michelle muttered the last part while glancing up at Luffy, who had been trying to climb to the top of the shelf.

"Hai hai," the rubber-boy stopped to respond, starting his climbing back up before slipping and quickly regaining his balance, Michelle looking slightly skeptic before pushing her glasses back up and continuing leafing through the book she was looking at earlier.

"So back to the beginning than, where do we start looking," Brook voiced from beside Michelle, helping her get the books that had been placed higher up on the shelf. She thanked him quietly every time a book was reached to her. Ace had been watching Luffy, wondering if he was gonna fall, until a narcoleptic fit hit him, meaning he was now passed out against Robin's side, who was smiling softly.

"Well, since this is _our _trial, it must be a place that has something to do with us... Or more specifically, the Mugiwara pirates..." Michelle spoke softly while placing the book she finished back on a lower shelf and heading towards another across the room. Nami looked to be in deep thought at all that had been said while Iceburg sighed.

"Mah, guess your best bet would be to start searching the places that our important to you here," Iceburg spoke up while looking at Nami, who seemed to be the only one talking to him anymore.

"Hm... I guess your right, it would be hard, but it'd give us a slightly higher chance..." Nami murmured back before a loud shout caused the others to look at Luffy, who had fallen off the shelf while reaching for a book, causing him to land on top of Franky's head. The shout had than caused Ace to jolt awake and crack up laughing at the sight and Chopper to wake up in a fright and dart behind Usopp. Usopp was smiling since he had won the debate with Franky, who had given up before he was hit on the head by Luffy.

"Well, I suppose we'll split into small groups and start searching than," Robin said while smiling as the others looked at her. Franky and Luffy were in pain, Usopp and Ace were laughing, Chopper was freaked out. Zoro, still asleep, Sanji, still throwing his lollipop out in a daze, and Brook still browsing books with Michelle. Nami sighed while looking at Iceburg.

"Our crew is doomed, isn't it?"

"Mah... Most likely."

x

"This is in no way funny Baka-burg," Franky hissed at his former comrade, who he now saw as an enemy since he had about twenty members of his old gang behind him and crying at how happy they were he was back. Also they were crying at how sad they were at the fact this had happened to their strong aniki. A few of the others were trying to hide their laughter, unsuccessfully.

"I just thought it would be better if you had more people to help you look," Iceburg replied while not even trying to hide his amusement, Nami quietly hiding behind Iceburg while snapping pictures of Franky, who was in too much despair to really notice.

"I told you your turn would come," Nami whispered softly before snapping another shot while Franky shivered for an unknown reason.

"Yohoho, might as well start searching now!" Brook laughed while looking at all his nakama happily, before a few shouts brought all their attention to a couple hundred yards away.

"There they are!"

"After them!"

"YOU TWO** WILL** BE MARINES! IF I HAVE TO BEAT IT INTO YOU MYSELF!"

Ace and Luffy shivered before looking behind them with wary faces. They're fears were confirmed upon site of the smiling Garp and scowling Smoker. A lot of marines were behind them, along with Coby and Helmeppo behind the vice-admiral and commodore. Ace and Luffy shared a glance before the older of the two spoke up.

"Run for it?"

"Yeah... Run fast," Luffy replied before the two ran off in a random direction, correcting their course to reach the scrapyard. The crew had agreed to meet their after an hour of searching, but it looked like the hour had come too soon.

"Okay, we'll just search the scrapyard now," Franky smiled while his right eye twitched, him and Iceburg glancing at the marines while the rest of the crew quickly followed after the two brothers running ahead of them.

"Mah, I'll help bring the Thousand Sunny around for you to escape in," Iceburg said before slipping away from the marines before they spotted him helping an infamous crew. Franky's gang just stood in shock as the Mugiwara's disappeared in record time, Iceburg gone as well.

"Now what..." one of the members asked, the others looked lost as well.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, you could help me find the way to the scrapyard," a young girl's voice asked from beside the gang, who all looked over shocked to see a small girl with long pink pigtails and a large smile on her face.

"Uh, well..."

"Don't worry, I'm a friend of the Mugiwara's, I'm going to help them as much as I can!" the young girl said while a few of the others shrugged before Tara grabbed the hands of the two girls in front and pulled them along, smiling hugely and laughing.

X

"Wow, this looks like trouble!" Tara giggled at the sight that greeted her while watching from the entrance to the scrapyard. The crew had each been separated into small groups when they began fighting the marines the, doing the best they could with their current forms, "Hey mina!"

"You!" Nami shouted while sending a few thunderclouds over to a group of marines, who were soon on the ground charred with a thick layer of ash covering them and the ground.

"What do you want!" Sanji yelled, throwing his lollipop at a marines head, the stick poking his eye before kicking him in the face. Tara giggled at the sight while watching everyone fight, Ace and Luffy she noticed seemed to be the ones who were doing the blunt of the fighting, Zoro and Sanji behind them.

"I just wanted to tell you that your challenge this time is to find the bracelet while fighting the marines!" Tara yelled over all the noise, her voice somehow being heard by the others. Zoro and Sanji were yelling at the top of their lungs, Michelle gasping in shock when she made out a few words of what they were saying.

"Zoro-kun! Sanji-san!" Tara heard the young girl admonish the two while sending a bolt of static at the marines, Kayla taking out the ones who tried to sneak up behind her.

"This is gonna be fun!" a voice yelled, the loudest noise out of all the fighting, which turned out to be a small D smiling hugely. The next loudest sound to his yelling, was now the sound of the two D's laughter as they fought their way through the marines. Tara giggled before watching the others. Nami, Usopp and Chopper were fighting the marines that tried to come up behind them, Sanji and Franky fighting the ones on their right side while Zoro and Michelle held off the other. Ace and Luffy were taking on the blunt of the marines from the front while Brook and Robin were lending support to those who needed it at the time.

_They really do work well together as a crew... So let's see how this challenge works out for them..._ Tara thought to herself while she and Franky's old gang watched the battle from the entrance the scrapyard.

"No!" a few of the others looked up shocked at the yell, only to see Tara had been the one who had shouted it. She was quickly running away from the gang members and running towards Michelle, who looked confused at why Tara looked so scared, "Michelle, you have to-"

Tara cut herself off a few feet from Michelle, both having looks of shock on their face before they each fell down and started clutching their heads in pain, screaming at the top of their lungs, causing the others to looked shocked at what was happening.

"What's that!" one of the marines shouted while looking at the sea, where the water had started rising and boiling as if on fire. Steam was coming off of the top right shapes started to emerge from the sea before crashing back down, as if they couldn't support themselves. Finally after a few more seconds creatures started emerging from the water.

A harsh and loud snarl ripped through the yard, chilling the blood of everyone there. Hesitant looks were made towards the sound that had been heard, which turned out to be a nightmare. Large wolfish creatures began to walk out of the sea that had been made by the steaming water.

It's entire body was see-through yet a deep black blue, like the bottom of the ocean. Bubbles were rising and falling inside the body as the surface bubbled continuously. The large amounts of steam rising from the creatures and sea was causing layers of it to scatter around the yard, making it even harder to see. The one thing that they did see though, was the blood-red eyes that all the wolves had.

"R-Run," Tara whispered horse from beside Michelle, who was trying not to scream as she clutched her head. The others looked at Tara, everyone, even the marines, had heard her, "The power of the Devil doesn't work on these creatures... Your Akuma no Mi powers, THEY'RE POWERLESS AGAINST THESE THINGS!"

A fierce howl echoed throughout the yard before the wolves charged, marine and pirate alike. The battle had just gained another opponent, one who didn't care what the outcome of the battle was. One who didn't have anything to lose...

"Mina! Anyone with devil's fruit powers concentrate on holding the marines off-"

"Everyone else take care of the wolves!" Ace and Luffy each shouted, both glaring at the approaching wolves before holding off more of the marines.

"Heat Wave!" Ace shouted while sending waves of heat across the marines in front of them, melting some of the junk that was in the way.

"Gomu Gomu no Storm!" Luffy shouted while using one of his more powerful abilities to take out the marines, both of them knew they had to get out of there soon.

"Oni Giri!" Zoro hissed while taking out a few of the marines who had been charging towards Michelle and Tara, who were on the ground clutching their heads and shivering. Their voices had long cracked from all the screaming they had done so they were now silent. Kayla was quick to stop more marines from the other side, quickly shifting into her panther form before scratching and biting anyone who got too close.

"Mouton Shot!" Sanji muttered while kicking the wolves who got to close to the others. Yeah, the steaming water made it kinda hard to aim right, but he could manage it, "DIE!" Sanji yelled while throwing the lollipop at one of the wolves, hoping it would dissolve into nothing. It didn't, just got hotter, but the result sure made the wolves wary of the blonde pissed-off cook.

"Heat Ball!" Nami sent out as many heat balls as she could, trying to get it hot enough to were the wolves would evaporate, not much luck, just made them weak enough for Usopp to finish them off with some of his exploding stars.

"Rumble!" Chopper shouted while biting down on one of his rumble balls, quickly changing into jump point to dodge the marines in front of him, than shifting into guard point and landing on them. All of his forms had been affected by the age change, but he was still able to use his powers to stop the marines.

"Yohohoho! Hanauta Sanchou: Yahazu Giri!" Brook cried while appearing in front of the marines that he was facing before they fell in confusion, and pain. If the marines hadn't been afraid of the laughing skeleton before, they sure were now. Brook raised his sword again before a bolt of lightning suddenly hit it and transferred to the skeleton, "Yohohoho!"

Every marine who had been near Brook was now running away from him, the blue lightning coming off of him freaked them out enough to assume he was Satan, which was okay with him.

"Nami! Why'd you make a storm!" Usopp yelled over the sudden thunder from over-head.

"I didn't baka! That's a natural storm, which came from nowhere! WHAT IS WITH THE STORMS ON THIS FREAKIN GRAND LINE!" Nami hit another wolf with her staff alone, the wolf yipping and backing off after seeing the young girl's aura, which spooked quite a bit of the wolves back. Usopp looked on in fear, Nami was scary.

"It's not a random storm... It's _his_!" Tara hissed while blowing some dust towards the marines running at them, causing them to be blown back past the scrapyard.

"Robin!" the others looked back shocked to hear a sudden scream and Franky and Chopper's worried yells. The wolves had been sneaking up behind Robin the whole time, striking when she had been too busy fighting the marines to notice. The others quickly tried to run towards her when they heard her scream due to the bites into her arm and leg which meant with the seawater entering into her veins, she was practically powerless to move, let alone fight.

The others watched on in mute horror for a split second before trying like mad to get to Robin, who was still being dragged toward the sea by the phantom wolves. They were quickly stopped however by the ones they had been fighting against, whether it be the marines or the wolves.

"Franky!" Usopp yelled as he watched Franky beat off his remaining opponents and dive in after the wolves, who had just pulled Robin under with them.

"What is that idiot doing?" Nami yelled, mostly to herself, while trying to block more of the wolves attacks. Everyone wanted to jump in after Robin, but there was no way they could help her in their current position or forms. Half of them couldn't even swim right now, let along help her! Right now, they just had to hope and pray Franky could save her before the wolves took her for good.

"Ngh!" a hiss of bubbles passed Franky's lips but he took little to no notice of the boiling temperatures of the sea all around him, too concerned on trying to rescue Robin from the wolves. The sea was pitch-black dark and it felt like the waves were shaking in laughter and hatred. It scared the teen. A lot. But no way was he quitting now!

Franky continued his swim downwards, the only way he could tell when there was a wolf near him was when he saw those two small red eyes. A few more seconds and he yet another set of bubbles floats up past him, Robin. Swimming even faster than before Franky finally spots the young girl, who's holding her breath as best she can and struggling to get free from the wolves.

_Franky Boxing!_ Franky screamed in his head before punching each and every wolf that dared get close to him, fighting his way to rescue Robin. He knew he only had one shot at this. No one else would be able to get there in time to help him, even if they could he had a feeling the wolves were gonna prevent anyone apart from him helping Robin.

Said girl was still struggling but also trying to hold her breathe for as long as she possibly could. The suddenly boiling temperatures of the wolves around her make her realize they were mad. Like pissed off mad. Which meant someone was trying to help her. Which meant one of her idiots had jumped into the water to try and save her. Robin looked up to see Franky punching the wolves while trying to make his way towards her. Yup. It was an idiot.

The slightly sarcastic thoughts didn't stop her from smiling however, or looking confused as to why Franky had jumped in after her. And than she remembered, Franky was possessive of all his nakama. No one got left behind when he was around, he made sure of it. Robin's smile became even brighter as she saw him punch one of the wolves, the one that had bitten into her arm.

Franky just sent her a cocky smile that even she had been able to make out under water before he kicked off the wolf that had been biting her leg. Both wolves backed away in an angry manner once punched before Franky slid his goggles off of him and over Robin's eyes, hoping to protect her from any more burning water. Another quick second later and Franky had his arms securely around a hissing Robin and was kicking upwards.

He had to get Robin out fast, and he knew it. She had already been under there a few minutes, which meant she was getting weaker and weaker. Not to mention her exposed wounds let saltwater get in them, which hurt a lot more. Franky was sure if Robin wasn't as strong as she was she would be screaming out in pain right now, the thought only made him speed up even more.

_Damn UN-supa wolves! _Franky hissed to himself before glancing back to see the wolves around them had gotten even hotter and were starting to leave burns on his skin. He noticed Robin's skin wasn't getting burned, and he was glad for that. A sudden stinging and tearing pain of his left arm brought his attention to a pair of blood-red eyes that looked as if they were laughing.

Franky knew what the wolves were trying to tell him. One of them was staying down here. And one of them was going up to the surface. Franky smirked as he felt two more wolves bite into him before kicking them off and swimming faster, gasping for breathe when he finally felt the two's heads break the surface of the water.

Taking a quick look around Franky saw everyone was still fighting and that his old gang was closest to him. Another bite on the shoulder reminded him that he was still in trouble and had to get Robin out of the water. And quickly. The shipwright looked all around him with lighting-speed before seeing a piece of drifting wood with some scrap metal on it.

It was like the pieces of scrap were begging to be used. Franky quickly got Robin onto the nearby plank, said teen was coughing harshly and was trying to move the goggles out of her face so she could see what was happening.

"What...are you...doing?" Robin hissed in an out-of-breath tone as she coughed up more water while Franky messed with the scrap metal, quickly making a propeller before getting out the contraption he had been working on in Iceburg's office.

"Just making sure you get back to the others," Franky responded with another cocky smirk, making Robin narrow hers in suspicions. She knew that smirk. He was planning on doing something really _really_ stupid. And most likely dangerous.

"Wha-?"

"Sorry Robin, no time to talk," Franky cut her off before starting up the quick propeller he had made and pushing the plank towards the shore. Robin's eyes had gone wide when Franky had called her by her first name. He never used first names unless it was an emergency. Even than he hardly ever used them. Her eyes only went wider when she felt the propeller start driving her to shore.

"Franky!" Robin tried to get off the plank only for a wolf to snarl at her attempts, making her back up in fear. Franky smirked before another wolf bit his shoulder again, his smirk turning into an agitated grimace.

"Ah man, this is gonna suck," Franky hissed before taking a huge breathe as he was dragged back underwater by the wolves. As if he was gonna get beaten by some bubbling water. More kicks and punches were thrown at the wolves, who only seemed to double in fighting force. Franky just smirked as he felt his wounds start to burn even more at the exposure to salt water. Well, win some and lose some. At least he knew Robin would be safe, that's all that really counted.

Besides, the others would be fine without him. Franky punched another wolf in the face before turning around and kicking one right where the sun doesn't shine, making it whine in pain. Just because he knew he was finished didn't mean he was going out without a fight though. He'd make it one _supa_ fight, that was for sure!

* * *

Um... Happy cliffhanger is happy? *edges to shielded bunker* Rii~ght~ Well... I'm just gonna go... you know... HIDE! *darts into bunker before locking it*

**Don't worry, she'll udpate faster next time. She's actually proud of this story and all the reviews she's gotten. It almost made me sick how happy she was when she saw she reached over 100 reviews. Blegh.**

_Oh be nice! She earned those reviews, besides, she does a great job on my charcter. Even though she's gotten complaints of Michelle being a Mary-Sue, you have to remember, she has no memory of who she is... You'd be acting pretty weird too if that happened to you too!_

_Not to mention she has a pretty depressing past. It's no wonder her mood sometimes changes and snaps in given circumstances. She's truly created a haunted and tortured character..._

? Thanks... I guess... I'm gonna hide and not come out though. Oh, one more thing, Jean, would you do the honors?

_Sure sweetie. Michelle typed this up a while ago when she got a complaint, just read and it might explain a few things : _

Okay listen up whiners. I have complaints that Michelle is a Mary-sue. Well, I admit she seems like one at first glance, but she's not! All I know is that just cause she is a D, doesn't mean she is Mary-sue. That's just how she is, sweet nice and kind. But with her past she can act kinda aggresivly, as you've seen. Yes, she's a D, but that's the only way my story could work out. Trust me, you've never read a One Piece story like this. Just, try to forget Michelle's somtimes weird bouts of Mary-sueness and read the story, it really is a good one, I promise!


	24. Five Minutes

******Chapter 21 ~ Five Minutes on the Clock**

**x**

**o**

**x**

"_FRANKY!" _

The other Mugiwara pirates looked up in shock at the sudden broken and heavyhearted scream that tore from Robin's lips. Surely that couldn't have been their calm, cool, and collected archeologist who always knew what to do and who never panicked in any situation. Right?

"Robin-anego, please stop struggling!" A few of Franky's old gang members were doing their absolute best to hold Robin back from doing something stupid. Like diving into the boiling ocean water and chasing after Franky.

Robin was kicking and screaming her hardest though, which was why they were having such a difficult time holding her back. What worried them most however, was that the girl wasn't even using her Devil Fruit powers to try and escape from the gang. She was just using the strength of a little girl to fight.

"No...no...NO! _THAT IDIOT_!" Robin's screams became even louder as another clash of thunder and lightning sounded from above. A few seconds later and heavy, freezing rain started falling down on everyone who was still fighting, "LET ME _GO_!"

Tara heard the fierce screaming of the usually calm archeologist and managed to glance up from her place on the ground beside Michelle. The pounding pain in her head was making her thoughts and actions fuzzy and incomprehensible, but she knew one thing for certain.

None of this should have ever happened. This was supposed to have been her test... As the proctor giving the test, she was the one who was supposed to have been in control of all aspects at all times. Which meant...it was all her fault if Franky... If he...

"You cold-blooded demon..." Tara hissed with all the venom of a snake while struggling to sit up. Just long enough to send a piercing glare at the ocean. She than chanced a look back towards Robin. The young teen was currently crying heavily and had tears streaming down her face.

She was still kicking, screaming, and just plain begging to be let go. The only words you could make out through her screams was Franky and help, "Why are you doing this to them... Why..."

Tara herself looked about ready to break down in tears while looking around at everyone fighting. All of them were fading fast. They couldn't lose here! They had to win... They had too. They would! They would...right?

"Tara-san," Tara's head snapped up as she looked over to the small three-year-old girl beside her, "Please...help them... They're _not_ just some crew. They're...a family..." Tears streaked down the younger girl's face before Tara's own face hardened.

This wasn't right. None of this was right.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Tara quietly looked over to see that Luffy was now sending less and less attacks out and was panting heavily. Ace was in much the same state as his little brother, barely having the ability to keep his flames alive long enough for them to do damage to the enemy. Both looked as if they were about to give up, the only thing keeping them going was their stubborn D streak.

"Nii-chan, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Luffy muttered while dodging a sword slash and countering with a strong kick to the attacker's gut. Ace quickly finished the marine off before grabbing Luffy's shirt and pulling the younger out of the way while dodging another attack, this time from a wolf.

"I know Lu... This is getting tougher and tougher..." Ace hissed as he quickly turned his arm into fire, allowing the incoming sword slash of another marine to go harmlessly through it. He than quickly retaliated with an upward kick to the jaw. Luffy finished the marine off with a fierce punch to the chest, sending him flying back.

"Franky still underwater?" Luffy asked while backing up and running into Zoro, both turning around ready to attack till they saw the other. Zoro just sighed before sending a sword slash over Luffy's shoulder to the marine who was trying to sneak up behind the small captain. Luffy did much the same, sending a Gomu pistol over to the marine who had tried to attack Zoro.

"Yes," Zoro was surprisingly the one to answer Luffy's question, "Robin's already up though, she's trying to dive back in after Franky. The weird gang members are holding her back though," Zoro sent another slash towards another marine, smirking as Luffy quickly finished him off.

"Than what about Franky!" Luffy practically yelled while quickly turning around to face the ocean where water was still bubbling fiercely. The phantom wolves were pacing back and forth in front of the water, more and more coming out before running off to attack the others, whether it be marine or pirate.

"We can't do anything right now!" Zoro yelled back while fiercely turning around to glare at the marines who were about to try and capture Michelle and Tara, "To Ro Nagashi!" Luffy watched as his first mate quickly finished off any attackers near the two girls before blocking two attacking wolves.

"But if we don't do _something_ Franky's going to die!" Luffy screamed while Ace backed up towards the younger before sending a fireball towards an attacking marine.

"I know you're upset Lu, but we can't do anything right now, besides you can't even swim! Just do what you can do now and don't let rage cloud your judgment!" Ace shouted while pulling Luffy out of the way of yet more swords and teeth.

"I hate this!" Luffy screamed while Tara choked back the sobs that were threatening to break though. This wasn't right. None of this was right! If something didn't change they might all die here... And it would be all her fault. She was in charge of this test and she couldn't even protect them or the trials she had always watched over. This wasn't fair! None of this was fair!

"Gomen," Tara whispered before shakily standing up and sprinting towards the ocean, ignoring a screaming Michelle who tried to stop her yet was still on the ground.

"Oi! Where are you going you idiot!" she heard Zoro's shouts as she kept running past the others, who were still fighting, feeling more and more anger towards the one who had caused all of this to happen in the first place.

"What are you doing? You can't go after Franky alone! The wolves will tear you up!" Tara looked around as she saw Sanji screaming at her to turn back before two more wolves jumped on him, tackling him to the ground once he was distracted, "Oi you shitty wolves! Get off me!"

"Unlikely brat," the wolf hissed, causing Sanji's unhidden eye to widen in shock. The voice had been nothing but demonic and high-pitched. There was something more...the voice...it had also sounded like it was gargling rocks. As if it's throat was cracked and burning.

"Go to Hell," Sanji hissed before sending a swift upward kick to the wolf's chest, wincing when he felt the burning water on his leg, "Cotelette!" Sanji screamed as he quickly avoided the wolf's bite and dropped into a one-handed handstand before quickly driving his foot into the wolf's ribs as hard as he could, causing the wolf to let out a howl of pain.

"Selle!" Sanji quickly used the momentum from his last attack and spun around before delivering another attack, this time into the wolf who had replaced the first one. His leg started burning more and more, but it was better than just letting the wolves bite and scratch him. And way better than running away and leaving the Marimo to deal with it.

"Dammit," Sanji hissed while looking back up, angry when he saw Tara had ignored his yells and was still running towards the ocean and had just about reached it. The wolves she had passed parting before her and letting her continue. And why wouldn't they, she was running straight towards them.

"I am done letting you interfere with my test you beast," Tara hissed while slowing down and calmly walking into the ocean. Immediately she started feeling the drastic difference between the boiling water she was walking into and the freezing rain water that was still falling all around them.

"Are you insane?" Tara glanced back when she saw Nami staring after her in shock and yelling, blocked off by a snarling wolf, "Oh shut up," Nami hissed before slamming the clima tact down on the wolf's head before it walked dizzily away before another wolf replaced it.

"I'm so sorry," Tara whispered before sucking in a deep breath and diving underwater, pushing herself forward as the water grew hotter and hotter. _I am not giving up! Not until I fix what has gone wrong! You got one chance as this pretty-boy pervert, you just better hope you pick the right choice..._

_There!_ Tara swam even faster as she caught sight of the fighting blue-haired teen. Even after minutes under boiling water with bleeding and open wounds, he was still putting up one hell of a fight. Tara was truly amazed at how crazy these pirates were when it came to their friends being put in danger. No... Not friends... Their nakama...

"Hey, pretty-boy!" Tara shouted, smirking when she saw Franky's head snap up in shock at hearing her voice, close to laughing when she heard his response.

_Man oh man, I must have drowned..._

"Nope, just communication through minds, trust me, you're not dead. You will be though if you don't do something soon, that includes your nakama as well."

_Wha-? ARE YOU AN IDIOT! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO! I'M HALF-DEAD AS IT IS, I CAN BARELY KEEP MYSELF ALIVE! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SAVE MY FAMILY! HOW?_

"Whoa, no need to be so explosive," Tara once again smirked, praying to the gods that her plan would work. It would have to if she wanted to have any chance of saving the others, "Just thought I would show you how badly the others were doing..."

Franky's struggling was getting more and more sparse as his air supply slowly ran up. Another wolf bit him on his side, drawing even more blood. The water around him was already turning a deep crimson due to all of his open wounds.

Tara noticed this and quickly blew into her hand as sparkling dust picked up and whirled in front of Franky, forming a small cloud with flickering images. Franky's eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. His nakama were still fighting, but not for long if what he saw kept up.

x

"Gomu Gomu no-" Ace looked over at his brother shocked when he didn't hear Luffy say anything else, he only grew more shocked when he saw Luffy shivering, his fast raised as if he was about to do his famous Gomu pistol. Only problem was, his arm wasn't stretching.

"Luffy..." Ace hissed as he saw Luffy shivering, the marine in front of him looked shocked that the attack had stopped before it began and quickly rushed at the brat, only for Luffy to snap out of his daze and jump up and punch the marine in the chest, knocking him back even without his devil fruit strength, "Luffy, your powers-"

"Gone..." Luffy muttered while dodging another sword strike before Ace quickly landed a flaming fist on the offending marine, "And this time I know that pink-haired girl isn't doing anything..."

"Oi Luffy, what's wrong?" Zoro yelled from some distance away, cutting down three more wolves. He had stopped as soon as he saw Luffy standing still before punching a marine out without even using his Gomu powers.

"His powers...are kinda...short-circuiting?" Ace picked his words carefully while dodging the fangs of another wolf before Zoro appeared in front of him and slashed at it.

"You mean they're gone?" Zoro hissed through the sword in his mouth, jumping back as another wolf tried to bite him before he cut the wolf in half, the boiling water suddenly losing shape and falling to the ground before rising up into the air as simple steam.

"Not permanently, it happened back on the ship, once before," Ace muttered back in a slightly apprehensive tone, he knew how protective of Luffy Zoro was. Almost as protective as Ace himself. And that was saying something.

"What?" Zoro yelled, causing a few of the other crew members to glance back at them. A few guessing what was happening before Zoro ran back towards Michelle, where more wolves were trying to attack her. The attack was stopped short however when they met an enraged Kayla, who was panting heavily in front of the girl. Michelle herself was slumped on the ground, tear streaks still visible in the rain as she kept shaking and clutching her head.

"Man, could this get any worse?" Usopp half-asked and half-yelled as he fired another exploding shot at the wolf in front of him, only serving to enrage the thing before Nami finished it off with a thunderbolt tempo.

"_NEVER_ say that!" Nami hissed while slapping the back of the sniper's head, who whined before glaring at the navigator.

"Well it's not like it _could_ get worse!" Usopp yelled while shooting another round of explosives at a wolf who was trying to attack Chopper, said reindeer was panting heavily and still trying to fight. He had tried to take another Rumble Ball, only for Nami to take it away from him and saying that even his old body couldn't handle it, so why would his younger one be able to.

"Yohohoho! It seems the wolves want to play fetch," Nami and Usopp looked over at Brook, looking half-shocked and half-exasperated when they saw the skeleton's arms being chewed at by the wolves, as if they were a tasty snack, his sword a few feet away from him on the ground.

"They may be wolves, but I guess they're still dog-like..." Usopp muttered while tripping and narrowly missing having his head bitten into by a wolf, which he was sure would've hurt. A LOT! "Chopper, can't you talk to these things?"

"Um... Maybe..." Chopper muttered while glaring at one of the wolves, "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

"Ha ha ha! You think we'll tell you little reindeer... I will say this... It's a shame you ran into us in these forms..." All three of the crew looked shocked when they heard one of the wolves speak in a high-pitched demonic voice that they could all understand.

"Guess that answers one question..." Usopp muttered while he and Nami backed up towards Chopper even more, "I said it once, and I'll say it again. This could not POSSIBLY get any worse..."

"AAHH!" a sudden scream drew they're attention to the cook of their crew, who they were shocked to see was being bitten and snapped at by the wolves like they were toying with him. His right leg had deep bite marks in it while his hands were covering the right side of his face. Small droplets of blood were seeping out of the cracks in his fingers that the three could make out even from where they were standing.

"Oi Nami!" Usopp yelled before tackling a distracted Nami to the ground, the two narrowly missing being the wolves new chew toys.

"Well well... This looks fun," a deeper yet just as sinister voice caused the three grounded young ones to glance up to see a large ragged wolf with a distinct scar traveling through a white eye instead of red, "Fresh meat..."

The three gulped before Nami hit Usopp in the back of the head again, "I told you not to say things could get worse."

"Gomen..."

"I SAID TO LET ME GO!"

"I don't think that's very smart," Robin's head snapped up as she stared down a pink-eyed wolf in front of her, "After all... Your little blue-haired boyfriend wouldn't want you hurt now, would he..."

"You...can talk..." Robin managed to gasp as the female-toned voice of the wolf in front of her laughed viciously.

"I suppose I can... But you should be worrying more about the fact that you won't be getting out of here alive..." the wolf hissed as more wolves behind her started surrounding Robin and the gang behind her. Said gang was mostly shivering in fear, but a few were ready to fight the wolves with all they had left in them.

"AHH!" Robin looked over shocked as the loud scream that came from one of the D brothers. She realized that it wasn't one of them, but both. Both brothers had been bitten by wolves, more and more quickly starting to surround them.

"Well...I would warn you that this might get messy, but you already know that, don't you..." another wolf smiled evilly with blood dripping off his canines as he stood over a fallen Ace, who was clutching his stomach weakly.

_Dammit... Losing too much blood, can't use my powers... Even Luffy- _Ace's thoughts were disrupted as he felt sharp claws suddenly pierce the same spot he had been bitten, causing him to scream out in pain yet again as he glared at the brighter-than-normal red eyes of the wolf in front of him. The eyes were brighter and different from the others for one reason.

They were more blood-thirsty.

"Let me go dammit!" Ace glanced over at his little brother, who was struggling and yelling at the wolf who had it's teeth embedded in the boy's arm. Even with his powers gone, his strength fading fast, and a wolf who could tear his arm off attached to him, Luffy was still Luffy.

"Be quiet brat," the wolf standing over Ace muttered before flicking his ears, causing the other wolf to bite down harder on Luffy's arm, eliciting a scream of pain from the boy. A second later another wolf quickly bite into Luffy's side, the one where the stitches were, causing the wound to re-open yet again. Ace's eyes snapped open in shock as he heard Luffy's agonized screaming. Damn! Couldn't he do anything!

"No brat... You can't. You're as helpless as the age your body is stuck in," the crimson-eyed wolf hissed in glee as he saw the hope fleeing from the D's eyes. This was so much fun.

"BACK OFF!" Ace and Luffy managed to keep their eyes open long enough in their pain-induced daze to see a pissed off looking Zoro clutching Michelle tightly to him, a circle of wolves surrounding him.

"Oh shut up green-head. It all be over shortly anyways..." a orange-eyed wolf hissed seductively while stalking closer, fangs bared in delight at how weak the two were. The wolf looked shocked as it felt itself be tackled to the ground by a growling and mad figure, "Great...Opposition..."

The orange-eyed wolf grinned at the onyx colored panther that was panting heavily in front of it, "Do you really wanna fight me doll?" the female voice's southern drawl asked, the tone dripping in sarcasm and false sweetness. The only reply it got was a fierce growl and barred teeth, "Fine hun, you're funeral," the wolf hissed before she and a few others suddenly launched at the panther.

x

_Stop it...Stop...STOP! _Tara winced at how pained Franky's thoughts sounded at the sight of his nakama in trouble, slowly bleeding to death. _Why are you showing me this..._

"Because you need to make a choice," Tara hissed before blowing more dust out of her hand, satisfied when it hit the wolves and made them back off with angry growls and whines, "You need to decide if you can save them or not!"

_What are you talking about? I'm near the bottom of the ocean and half-dead! I wouldn't be able to help them even if I could!_ Tara grimaced as Franky's eyes began to close. He was about to give up, but not before she got the information she needed.

"I didn't ask you if you could help them. I asked you if you want to save them!"

_But I can't do anything-!_

"I'M ASKING YOU RIGHT NOW PRETTY-BOY! DO YOU WANT TO SAVE THEM?"

_OF COURSE I WANT TO SAVE THEM! THEY'RE MY FAMILY!_

"ALRIGHT THAN!" Tara yelled while looking excited. About time she got a response, "You have five minutes!"

_Wha-?_ Franky gasped as multicolored dust surrounded him like it did when he was turned into a child. What was going on this time, oh great. There went the last of his air...

x

"Nami...we're so doomed aren't we?" Usopp cowered in front of Nami and Chopper as the one-eyed wolf drew closer, a devious and evil smirk on his face.

"I think so Usopp... And I didn't even get Zoro's debts!"

"ORGANIZE YOU PRIOTIES!" Usopp screamed while turning to glare at Nami, who glared right back before hitting the back of Usopp's head. The two quickly got into another squabble, confusing the wolves for a few moments.

"Well...this just makes it easier for me," the half-blind wolf muttered before lunging forward towards the three only to stop mid-way when a giant splash of water behind him caught his and the other wolves' attention.

"_SUU~~PPAA!" _Every head of all the Mugiwara's snapped up in shock at hearing the familiar battle cry of one very crazy cyborg, "This weeks me, is now super-charged!"

"That idiot," Robin muttered while trying to hold back her tears as she looked up at the Franky they all knew and loved. The only thing that scared them however was the fact that he was wearing nothing but a speedo.

"I think... I'm scarred for life..." Nami and Usopp muttered while twitching at the sigh of the scantily-clad cyborg, the troublesome Tara tucked under one of his arms.

"Fresh Fire!" Franky yelled while sucking in a huge breath and breathing fire at all the wolves that had the others surrounded. Many of the wolves evaporating to steam as soon as the fire hit them. Soon all the rabble wolves were gone, leaving only the ones with different-colored eyes.

"Well...ain't this a surprise," the orange-eyed wolf muttered in a southern drawl while backing away slowly from a downed Kayla and glaring at a super-looking Franky.

"Yeah, well, so is this," Ace muttered, causing the other wolves to look at him as flames from around the battlefield started gathering around him slowly. "Enkai!"

"Eek," Nami and Usopp squealed in shock as all the flames in the junkyard raced past them and flew towards Ace, surrounding him in a large circle but not burning Luffy or any of the others.

**"**Hibashira!" Ace shouted while swinging his arm, all the flames rushing across the ground before climbing up the legs of all the wolves.

"You little brat!" the one-eyed wolf growled while lunging towards Ace before the flames consumed him as well.

"Brook! Grab the others!" Franky yelled while running across the ground, grabbing Usopp with one hand and tucking Ace under the other arm as soon as his attack was done. Brook seemed to understand what Franky had said since he too was grabbing the others younger ones.

"Static Charge!" Michelle shouted, sending waves of static with enough voltage to stun any of the marines left in the junkyard. It worked since soon all marines were laying on the ground and twitching in pain, leaving just the pirates left. Michelle giggled at the success before being grabbed by Zoro and nudged onto Kayla's back, Luffy dangling in the panther's mouth.

"Yohohoho! Seems like we should leave now," Brook laughed while carrying Sanji and Chopper under each arm respectively, Robin right behind him and carrying Nami.

"That seems like a good idea Brook-san," Michelle muttered while clutching Kayla's fur, who growled and stared at the new wave of marines that had just arrived on the island and was too close to them for comfort.

"Okay, back towards the sea than," Franky yelled while running towards the ocean, Brook, Robin, and Kayla following him, hoping he had a plan. "Our escape route should be there...hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Usopp questioned with a raised eyebrow while being carried upside down and watching the incoming marines.

"We're so doomed," Tara muttered while trying to open her eyes, the recent use of her powers draining her too much for her to do much.

"Hey! It's the Sunny!" Luffy yelled from his spot dangling in Kayla's mouth. And true to his word, the Sunny was there in the bay. But one problem.

It was still too far away and the marines had now caught up to them. The others were just about to prepare to fight again when a scream of frustration interrupted their concentration.

"AARGH! DOES THIS HAPPEN TO YOU EVERY FREAKING TIME?" Tara screamed at the top of her lungs before wiggling her way out of Franky's grasp and shakily standing on her feet. Pink streaks of lightning were soon sprouting from her fingers before surrounding them in a large pink dome, much like Michelle's static powers.

"Uh...how long will this hold exactly?" Nami asked while watching the marines pounding on the dome. Tara grunted while trying to keep the dome strong and steady.

"Long enough for you to come up with a plan," Tara hissed back while the dome flickered away for a brief instant before coming back again.

"Can't you just port us onto the Sunny?" Franky asked while biting the inside of his cheek. None of this could be good.

"Are you an idiot pretty-boy?" Tara yelled back while sweating and grunting with the effort of keeping up the shield. "My powers are pretty much drained. I have almost no strength left, let along enough magic to teleport us far enough to get to the Sunny!

"Than what if you had more power?" Michelle asked while slipping off of Kayla's back.

"And how would she get more power exactly, we don't even know how her powers work!" Sanji exclaimed while using the brief lapse in the shield to throw the sucker out, pleased when it hit one of the marines in the eye before popping back into his mouth.

"Well, let's just find out," Michelle muttered while placing her hands on Tara's leg before static electricity began sparking in the air around them.

"Hey, aren't you just as exhausted as her?" Zoro yelled while slipping off Kayla as well, leaving Kayla to only worry about keeping Luffy out of trouble.

"Yeah but, I have a little power left. So if we combine it we can get to the Sunny. In theory," Michelle grunted while forcing all of her power into Tara's.

"Yeah, in theory," Tara smirked while feeling the power swell around her own magic before her iris' flicked between being there and being gone. A second later the others felt the tingle of magic surrounding them as Tara chuckled and Michelle giggled.

"Just like a battery," Michelle muttered before falling back and having Zoro catch her before hitting the ground. Before the others could ask what happened the group of pirates vanished, leaving nothing but a large group of wet and confused marines in the junkyard.

"Right, you guys need to get out of here, now!" Tara shouted while dropping the others onto the deck of the Sunny and looking energized. She than grabbed Iceburg's hand and smiled at the others. "Good luck," was all that they heard before she and Iceburg were gone.

"Well...what are guys waiting for?" Nami yelled while looking at Franky and Brook, who quickly began running around the deck and getting things ready to leave. Quicker than usual Brook was at the wheel and steering the Sunny away from Water 7 while Franky leaved against the rail exhausted.

"That...was closer than I wanted..." Franky muttered before chuckling. A second later a giant poof and a pink cloud surrounded Franky. After the smoke faded they saw a teenage Franky again, this one almost falling off the deck as he tried to regain his balance again.

"It...could have been worse," Ace muttered while Luffy and a few of the others laughed as they leaned against one another on deck, glad they had finally gotten away from that Junkyard.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Tara exclaimed, indeed sounding impressed. Well, until Franky fell overboard, having not expected a child suddenly shouting in his ear. A few swear words later and a loud splash was heard as the others looked over to where Tara was.

Almost immediately the swearing started up, Sanji being the loudest and yelling about his lollipop again.

"ORGANIZE YOUR PRIOTIES SANJI-KUN!" Nami yelled as soon as she heard what he was yelling about. Usopp rolled his eyes at the words Nami has used.

"As if you're one to talk," Usopp muttered under his breath, going stiff when he felt the navigator's glare on him. Maybe he should have just kept quiet.

"This feels like it will never end," Ace muttered to himself before sighing in exhaustion and walking over to help Robin with the ladder. Both quickly throwing one over the side and down to Franky. A quick shout of thanks was heard before Franky started slowly making his way up.

"Ah, Ace!" Luffy yelled, the others turning to watch as Luffy caught Ace's ankle before the elder D could fall over the railing. Luffy sighed in relief, he really hated those narcoleptic fits of Ace's sometimes. "Ah-ah-achoo!" The sudden sneeze actually caused Luffy to lose his own balance and fall overboard, Ace along with him.

The others almost started freaking out, before they heard the sound of the two hitting Franky's head and causing them to all fall overboard and into the water again.

"...Why does this always happen to us..." Nami muttered to herself while Tara began laughing loudly and Brook and Chopper tried to jump in after the three overboard nakama.

Down in the water Franky kept cursing to himself as Ace suddenly woke up and grabbed Luffy's arm before clinging to the teen's head like a drowning cat. Franky really hoped this wasn't become a habit...kids falling on his head...

* * *

So very tired. 3am. Worked out today. Can't keep eyes open. Been 4 months since last updating. So sorry. 7 page chapter. Please enjoy...

*glassy-eyed* *stoned-out smile* Hiii~~~ WaNnA bE FrieNDs?


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